FireLight
by BonitaBreezy
Summary: In a war-torn country, what will it take to achieve peace? AkuRoku
1. Prologue

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Prologue

I invite you to join me in a new world. This world might be extremely similar to the one you yourself know, and yet it might be completely different as well. I suppose that is up to you to decide.

This is a world ruled by absolute monarchy. This is a world where your status is based on the power of your magic. This is a world where discrimination amongst brethren is almost unheard of. Skin color is hardly noticed. Being gay is like being left-handed. Slightly uncommon, but none too surprising.

In comparison with your own world this place might sound picture perfect. You would be mistaken. No matter where you are, perfection is equally unobtainable.

This world which we shall, for convenience sake, refer to as Gaia is divided up into several different kingdoms. For over three hundred years, the two largest kingdoms have fought mercilessly. The reason for which, no one really knows. The initiating reason of the war has been lost to the pages of history. Despite this, they continue to fight. They do it because they know of nothing else. They are bred deep with prejudice and fear of that which they do not understand.

Hartz, the kingdom of light-throwers, has mercilessly fought against Ne'erwas, the kingdom of fire-eaters merely because they have been told they should.

This story, though, is a story of change. This is the tale of the ceasefire between these two countries, due to the connection of their two young princes. This is the story of Axel, prince of the Kingdom of Ne'erwas, and Roxas, prince of the Kingdom of Hartz.

I invite you to join me in their world.


	2. Summit

Insert standard disclaimer here.

"When the power of Love overcomes

_the Love of power, the world will know peace." _

_- Jimi Hendrix_

Chapter 1

The sheer amount of bodies strewn about was terrible. Fire-eaters and Light-throwers alike, indistinguishable from each other in the gore that surrounded them. The young prince wanted to scream, but he knew such things weren't allowed. Not of royalty, not in public. Later, when he was alone in his room, he could break down, but not now. Not when those who depended on him were watching. They had won that battle, but who was to know who would win the next one? It all seemed so pointless. All these deaths, and for what? This war had been going on for as long as anyone could remember and at what cost? Children were bred to be soldiers, bred to kill the opposite kingdom on sight.

Roxas, though not very religious, said a quick prayer for all the fallen. Now that they were dead, what did it matter where they hailed from? Nothing mattered except the fact that somewhere out there, someone had just lost a member of his or her family. In most likeliness, they didn't even know it yet. They were blissfully unaware and Roxas wished that they might stay that way, if only for a small while. He trudged amongst the dead, looking for any who might live. No one called out to him, no one stirred. This had been a particularly wicked fight. Roxas cast a glance around, looking for the rest of the army. He knew that he was not the only survivor. It was merely a matter of finding where the rest of them had gone. His brother Sora had led them away from the battleground looking less then happy.

Roxas could understand the sentiment. Still, he had felt it was his duty to search for any surviving soldiers. He stumbled through the masses of bodies and mists, coming upon a small alcove built into the rock, almost like a cave. He moved forward to investigate, coming to a stop when he saw a wounded soldier lying there, chest heaving heavily with breath. He rushed forward, coming to kneel at the man's side. He was bleeding heavily from a wound in his leg, but other then that he seemed all right. The man let out a gasping moan when he saw the blonde prince, trying to escape but unable to move.

"It's all right," Roxas whispered soothingly. "I'm not here to harm you. You're a Fire-eater aren't you?" The man gave a jerky nod, still looking scared. Roxas summoned up a bit of healing light and the man once again tried to make his escape.

"It's all right!" Roxas assured him. "I want to help you. Please, just trust me. I know you don't have much reason to…but really, you aren't in any sort of position to deny my help." The man seemed to see sense in Roxas' words. He nodded and relaxed back against the ground. Roxas pressed his hands, which were glowing with a pale gold light, against the man's wound. He willed the muscle and skin to heal back together. He willed the wound to close and all the pain to leave the man. It was only a couple seconds before he relaxed completely. Roxas leaned back, letting the man sit up. He knew he was putting himself in a dangerous position, completely unprepared against a foe, but he felt perfectly safe despite that.

"You are merciful, good prince," the man spoke. Roxas had a fleeting wonder as to how the man knew who he was before he remembered he was dressed in royal armor.

"I'd have wanted someone to do the same for my soldier," Roxas answered honestly. "I can't offer you much, but this should get you out of the kingdom." Roxas shoved a few bills into the man's hand.

"Why…why are you doing this?" the man asked shakily. Roxas sighed and massaged his temples.

"I'm ready for the fighting to end," he answered. "I'm ready for our kingdoms to live in peace. One person can't change anything, but I like to think that maybe I'm doing my part," he said.

"Roxas!" a voice called from the distance. "Roxas, answer me, dammit!" Roxas tensed and looking at the foreign soldier.

"Go," he hissed. "You must go now. I can't help you anymore." The soldier nodded, eyes wide. He scrambled to his feet and took off running in the opposite direction. Roxas quickly dashed back towards where he could hear voices calling for him.

"Prince Roxas!"

"Roxas! ROXAS!"

"Your Highness, can you hear me?"

"I'm here!" he yelled out once he was sure the soldier had gotten a fairly decent head start. He emerged from the heavy fog, coming face to face with the surviving members of the royal army.

"Oh good," Sora sighed. "I thought you might have died. Don't scare me like that!" He was sitting atop his mount, a horse he'd named Goofy. Roxas had just figured it would be better not to ask. He took the reins of his own horse, Luz, from Sora and swung up on it's back.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I was looking for survivors."

"Find any?"

Roxas shook his head sadly. "No."

"Your Highnesses," Riku, the head of the Royal Guard spoke up. "We should probably be going. We're wide open out here…" Sora nodded, quickly returning to business mode.

"Yeah, of course you're right, Riku. Let's go."

With that, they started their long trek back to Hartz castle.

Axel let out a sigh of boredom and blew a piece of red hair out of his eyes in exasperation. He'd been sitting in the throne room for nearly three hours, watching his father conduct business. It hadn't been his idea, but he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. As he was Crown Prince, his father thought the best way to learn was from experience. It was ridiculous, in Axel's opinion. The only reason he was to be king was because he was the only son. He'd tried to convince his father that his younger sister, Kairi, would make a better queen then he a king, but he'd been brushed aside.

There were people who dreamed of being a king, but Axel didn't want it. He didn't want to take the reigns of a war-torn country. He'd lost too many people he loved to the stupid wars and he didn't see any point in continuing on with that, especially if such things were his fault. The redheaded prince's thoughts were interrupted as the doors to the throne room slammed open and a solider rushed in. He approached the thrones, one of which held Axel's father, sitting regally, and the other of which held Axel, his legs kicked over one arm of the chair, his back leaning against the other. As he reached the thrones, he dropped into a kneel, face pointing at the carpet.

"Your majesty, your highness," he greeted.

There was a long silence. Axel and his father shared a quick glance and Axel sat up properly in his throne.

"Rise," Reno spoke. As the soldier stood, King Reno's green eyes studied him closely. "Are you one of the soldiers from the battalion sent most recently?" The soldier nodded.

"I'm the only one left, majesty," he answered breathlessly.

Axel sucked in a breath, his hands clenching where they rested on his knees. The entire battalion had been wiped out?

"The only one?" Reno asked, eyebrows shooting up to his hairline. "How did you come back alive?"

"I had help, sir!" the soldier exclaimed, eyes looking earnest. "That is why I came here. It was the prince who helped me!" Axel cocked an eyebrow and Reno looked at him as if begging the redhead to tell him that the soldier was crazy.

"That's impossible," Axel answered, "I haven't left the castle all week." The blonde shook his head quickly.

"No. I mean the prince of Hartz saved me. Prince Roxas."

Silence rung throughout the entire hall as the redheaded royals stared at the soldier.

"You…you can't be serious. Why would he do such a thing?" Reno spluttered.

"He said he was ready for the war to end because he thought it was pointless! He used light magic to heal my leg, gave me some of their currency and let me escape. I came back here as fast as I could to tell you!"

"And you're sure?" Axel demanded. "You're sure that it was Prince Roxas?"

"Yes, highness. I heard someone call him that." Reno sat back in his throne, staring at the ceiling for a long moment.

"All right," he sighed finally. "Thank you…"

"Demyx," the man answered helpfully.

"Yes, Demyx. Thank you. You're dismissed." He bowed again and made his way out of the hall. As soon as the doors swung shut behind him, Reno turned to stare directly at Axel.

"What do you make of this?" he asked. Axel sensed a quiz. The prince thought about it for a long moment.

"Well…I suppose if it was only a trick they wouldn't have depended so much on Demyx spilling his guts and would have taken a more direct approach." Reno nodded noncommittally. "I think we might actually have something here. We should call a summit so we can meet on sacred ground without fighting. We can discuss the terms of a peace treaty and end this god forsaken war."

"That is your call on the matter?" Reno asked sternly. Axel hesitated for only a moment before nodding.

"Very well, then, son. I'll trust your judgment. The time has come, I think, for me to pass along my crown. I have decided that your coronation will be at the end of this month. As your final piece of training, all this negotiating will fall upon your shoulders. Do you understand?" Axel nodded numbly. By the end of the month, he would be king. Why did that thought make him freeze in his seat?

It had been nearly a fortnight since they had last received any hostilities from the Ne'erwas. That amount of time in peace was almost unheard of. The entire kingdom was edgy. Roxas had noticed his father seemed tenser then normal. They were all waiting for the other shoe to drop. Their enemies obviously had something up their sleeves, but what could it be? It was because of this that Roxas was not at all surprised when his father called a meeting.

Roxas was the last to reach the secured room in which they discussed warpaths. His father was sitting at the head of the table, rightful place of the king. Sora sat to his right, Riku standing vigilantly behind him. He knew there was an attraction between the two but they never acted. Cloud hadn't announced yet which of his twin sons would take the crown and until he did as such, they couldn't act. If Sora was to be king, a love affair with anyone other then another royal would be frowned upon.

Roxas' own personal guard was a blonde girl by the name of Larxene. She controlled the element of lightning. Despite popular thought, everyone in the kingdom had different powers. They were known as Light-throwers because that was the power the royal family held. The same went, Roxas was fairly positive, for the Ne'erwas. The royal family wielded fire, but everyone else had the magic of their bloodlines. Riku wielded the power of darkness, something that was extremely rare and dangerous. He wasn't the head of the royal guard for no reason.

Roxas took his seat on the opposite side of his father, across from Sora. There were others there, but Roxas hardly paid attention to them. He wasn't even really sure what they did. They were stuck in a tense silence for a long time and Roxas found himself growing more and more worried. It seemed an eternity before his father spoke.

"We have been sent a messenger," he said. That was all. No explanation, just that one simple sentence. After another moment of silence, Roxas couldn't take it anymore.

"And?" he prompted.

Cloud glanced at him.

"A messenger from Ne'erwas," he clarified. "They wish…to hold a peaceful summit in Nocoraz'on." Nocoraz'on was neutral ground, a place protected by the gods since the beginning of time. They were negotiators and their king ruled with an iron fist. Breaking the laws of that land with fighting would not be taken lightly. In fact, it would be liable enough to start a war, one fought on their own soil. They could handle a war with Ne'erwas, but not with both at the same time. Anyone would crumble under such pressure. Roxas knew that the enemy kingdom knew that. Which meant they were serious.

"Why?" Riku asked sharply, forgetting himself for a moment. Larxene let out a low growl and Riku bowed his head in his king's direction. "I meant no offense, majesty," he amended quickly.

"At ease, Riku," Cloud answered tiredly. "I can't really fault your reaction. As it is, I'm quite unsure why they are calling this meeting as well. The message said they wished to hold a summit…and that they wish to speak to Roxas."

The blonde froze in his seat as every eye in the room turned to focus on him. Him? Why did they want to speak with him? He had broken none of their laws, done nothing to make himself stand out amongst the rest of the royals.

"I have intelligence that has informed me that King Reno plans to pass along his crown within the next fortnight," Riku spoke up, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Perhaps this is the doing of Prince Axel?"

"It's a point for thought," Cloud conceded. "But why is he interested in speaking to Roxas?"

"Maybe…he knows what we all know already," Sora spoke up. "Maybe he knows Roxas will be king." Cloud looked sharply at his son, shock written across his face.

"Sora…how…?"

Sora smiled soberly. "It's all right, father. I've known for a very long time that Roxas would be Crown Prince. He's older for one, but other then that, he has the strength and the courage to do what needs to be done. I'm… a bit to soft to make the tough decisions that absolutely must be made," Sora admitted. Roxas blinked in shock at his brother's insight. He hadn't seen it coming. The look of his father's face said it all, though. Roxas would be king.

Cloud nodded running a hand through his naturally unruly spikes.

"Yes, that is true. I decided long ago that it would be Roxas. I hope you are ready to claim your throne, my son, for it will come sooner then anticipated. Your coronation will be on your eighteenth birthday."

Roxas' stomach froze. His eighteenth birthday was a week and a half away. He'd had all the training and he knew what to do…but he was scared. He was scared that he would fail his kingdom, fail his father.

"Do you…think that wise, sir?" Larxene asked hesitantly. "Wouldn't it be safer to combat the Ne'erwas' prince with experience, rather then new blood?"

The king shook his head with finality. "If this summit means what I think it means, they are trying for peace. New blood with a mind for peace will function much better then an old mind experienced only in bloodshed. My decision is final. We leave for Nocoraz'on tomorrow. Riku, Larxene, make the necessary preparations for travel. You are dismissed."

The two gave a sharp nod and turned on their heels, leaving the room together.

"As for the both of you," Cloud sighed, "You should get some rest. Our journey will be a long one and who even knows what is to come after that."

Bidding their father goodnight, the twins left the room and headed back toward their chambers. They didn't speak as they went, both trapped in their thoughts. Right before they separated ways, though, Roxas clamped Sora's shoulders and rested his forehead against his brother's.

"Sora…" he said. That was all he had to say before Sora wrapped his arms around the blonde, hugging him fiercely.

"You'll make a great king," he whispered. "You'll have the power to change things."

"I'm scared," Roxas whispered.

"I know," Sora answered.

--------------------

A/N: Hmm…yeah, I like it so far. How about you guys? Do you like it so far? For those of you not as attentive as others, Ne'erwas=never was…as in the World That Never Was. Heh. And the Kingdom of Hartz? Kingdom Hearts. Get it? Oh…and Nocoraz'on…No Corazon. Which is Spanish for no heart…heartless…yeah, that actually took a lot of thought. Well…I'll shut up so you can review!


	3. Fixing the Problem

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 2

If there was one thing Axel hated, it was cold weather. Well, all right, he hated a lot of things. Stupid people, dogs smaller then a breadbox, hanging out in the throne room, amongst other things. But cold was really high up there on the list. Being a fire wielder made him naturally more susceptible to cold air. It would be just his luck that the one place that was strictly a peace zone had its winter season for more then three-quarters of the year.

They had arrived at the palace of Nocoraz'on the night before, frozen solid and greatly annoyed. King Mickey, a short mousy-looking fellow, had shown them great hospitality. Axel had been just about ready to kiss the man when he showed them to the hot springs. The prince spent half the night thawing out in the heat of the water. He'd even used some of his own magic to prompt the place a bit hotter. He'd felt somewhat bad about it when it had ended up boiling, too hot for anyone else to use without hurting themselves. They'd called Vexen, an ice user, in to cool down the water after Axel had gotten out, though, so he didn't feel quite so bad.

Now, though, he stood in one of the guard towers, watching the approaching party that he knew must contain Prince Roxas. Axel was antsy. Almost nervous. This would be his first act as king, even if the title wasn't yet his. This could make or break his entire kingdom. No matter what the outcome, everything would fall on his shoulders. He left the tower, starting down toward the throne room. That was where the meeting was to take place, with King Mickey as the mediator.

His father was already waiting for him there, along with Demyx. They had brought him as a sort of proof. Marluxia, commonly known as Marly and Axel's personal guard, was there as well. He was deemed almost useless on neutral ground and he wasn't reacting to that very well.

"Axel? Are you all right?" he asked, brow furrowing.

Axel nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. A bit…anxious, I guess."

Reno nodded. "Perfectly understandable. It's a lot of pressure…"

Axel rolled his eyes. "Thanks dad. Way to make me feel better."

Reno shrugged, shooting him a grin. "I'm not here to make you feel better."

The doors to the throne room opened and King Mickey led a crew of men in. There was a large blonde man, looking about the same age as Axel's dad. Flanking him on either side were two teenagers, one brunet with a pleasant smile on his face, the other a blonde with a slight scowl, one that looked like it was his default expression. They had the most brilliant blue eyes that Axel had ever seen. Behind them were two people who were obviously guards. One was tall and muscular with long silver hair and narrowed, distrusting turquoise eyes. The other was a female, just about the same height as her charge. She had blonde hair with antenna-like pieces slicked back and stormy gray eyes, sweeping the room to search for any danger. Both were armed to the hilt, but Axel knew that wasn't the most dangerous part about them. No doubt their magic was a force to be reckoned with. One didn't make it into a royal guard unless they had great power. At least, not in Ne'erwas.

There was a tense silence all around as the two royal families stared at each other. No doubt it was the first time in two hundred years that their people resided in the same room and weren't trying to kill each other. Yet. The silver-haired guard looked quite like he wanted to shank someone with that wicked-looking blade of his. The silence stretched on until Axel was ready to start fidgeting. Before he could stop himself-or rather before his father could shut him up-he blurted out, "Which one of you is Prince Roxas?"

They stared at him for a long moment before the scowling blonde raised a hand, giving a sarcastic little wave.

"Prince Axel, I presume?" he responded. His voice was dripping in sarcasm and Axel had to choke back a laugh. He managed to do so quite well, if he did say so himself.

"That would be correct. How'd you guess? It was my dazzling good looks, wasn't it?" he responded. Roxas smirked at him but the rest of the room remained silent. The blonde female's eye twitched.

"That or the arrogant manner in which you addressed me," Roxas snorted, though Axel could tell that he was joking. Marly, though, let out a small snarl and took a step forward. The turquoise-eyed guard reacted in kind, moving forward to shield the brunet's body. The blonde woman growled and touched Roxas' arm, as if asking for permission. He shook his head, waving a dismissive hand at her.

"It's all right, Larxene," he assured her.

"Yeah," Axel spoke up. "Down, Marly. Words don't hurt. Besides, he's just teasing…"

"They're fucking Light-throwers! They can't be trusted! You're crazy for doing this, Axel…!"

"Quiet!" Axel snapped.

"Axel…"

"Keep it up, Marluxia!" Axel warned, fire engulfing his hands. The guard's brown eyes narrowed, but he kept quiet.

"Sorry, highness," he muttered petulantly.

"You're dismissed," Axel said quietly. Looking very much like he wanted to protest, Marluxia stomped from the room, casting a glare at the other royals as he went.

"I apologize for him," Axel amended, hoping Marluxia's temper tantrum wouldn't ruin everything he had planned.

"Did you draw us out here to threaten us?" the silver-haired guard demanded angrily.

"Riku," the brunet spoke up, resting a soft hand on his arm. Axel could sense there was something between them, but he felt it might be unwise to comment on it.

"I'm not here to offer tension. I want…I want peace between our kingdoms. We're fighting an endlessly pointless war and it will get us nowhere. I know that you feel the same, Prince Roxas. I know…because of Demyx."

The blonde furrowed his brow, looking confused. Demyx waved uncertainly.

"Uh…hi." Roxas' eyes came to focus on Demyx, who he stared at blankly for a long moment before dawning took over his features. His mouth popped open in a small 'o'.

"Roxas?" the older blonde, undoubtedly the king, asked, brow furrowing.

"I…well, I guess I have a story to tell," Roxas sighed. "I hadn't honestly intended you to run off and tell your king."

"Sorry, highness," Demyx answered uncertainly. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Roxas waved a dismissive hand and began to tell his story. Axel was amused, watching the expressions of the blonde's family. The brunet, who Axel guessed could only be Prince Sora, looked vaguely proud. The king looked blank, almost as if he were trying to hide his thoughts from his face. As Roxas finished his tale, his eyes swept over and met Axel's. They were intense, conveying his message clearly. They were asking him what his intentions were, if he was honestly serious about peace.

"How, exactly," Roxas spoke. "Do you suggest we go about proclaiming peace between our kingdoms? It most certainly won't be easy. We've been fighting for hundreds of years and suddenly we just call it all off?"

Axel nodded, noticing that his father was watching him closely. Apparently the way he handled things here would be a test as well.

"It won't be easy, I admit that, but I think its necessary. I've lost…a lot of friends, family, people that I love, to this stupid, pointless war. What are we even fighting about?"

Roxas opened his mouth the answer before snapping his mouth closed again.

"I…I have no idea," he answered softly. He spun to look at his father. "Do you know? Do you know the reason for this war?" The blonde king shook his head sadly.

"I haven't any idea," he answered. "I guess…I just did as I was told and never asked any questions." Roxas' face slipped into a scowl again. It was then that it all clicked into place.

They used masks to keep their emotions from showing. Sora was constantly dazedly happy, Roxas scowling, the king blank. They were hiding their emotions from everyone else. Why, how, could they do that? Axel had such a hard time controlling his emotions, especially his anger. Why would they hide like that? He didn't understand it.

"I think…that if anyone can make this peace thing work, it will be you two," the blonde king spoke up. "New blood, determination…questioning the system. It's all good characteristics for revolutionaries." Axel's father nodded.

"All right, then," King Mickey spoke up, obviously pleased that he didn't have to keep them from each other's throats. "Let's start working on a peace treaty, shall we?"

The peace treaty they had composed was not taking root very well. Fights had broken out all over the place, in both kingdoms. Many people were very supportive of the peace, glad to finally be able to sleep at night without worry. A small few, though, were throwing revolts all around the place. Larxene was a nervous wreck on guard duty, absolutely convinced that someone was going to try and assassinate Roxas. She claimed that, before the treaty, she could have cut down any person who looked too shady. Now that flimsy peace was in place, she had to be careful with her actions. Any wrong move could incite the cry of war again. There was the idea of peace, but no one really believed in it. They had to do something that would make it stick, something that people wouldn't be able to deny or doubt. That was why, two days before Roxas' coronation, the blonde prince entered the Ne'erwas castle town with an agenda. He had to speak to Prince Axel and arrange something, anything that would unite their kingdoms. Because that was what they needed. Not a peace treaty, but unity. He was hardly recognized as he rode through the streets toward the castle. There were no gates, nothing to protect from the people outside. Almost as if the royals and the commoners lived amongst each other equally. Roxas couldn't imagine such a thing.

As he reached the large front doors to the castle, he dismounted, only to be met by a burly man. Roxas extended his hand, letting the light dance across his palm, a standard greeting for strangers. Apparently not. As soon as he did so, the man let out a bark of orders and a pain shattered across the back of his head. He hit his knees, eyes going wide. A pair of hands jerked his arms together behind his back and jerked him back to his feet.

"Dammit!" the original man howled. "You damn renegades, why can't you just let it go!"

Roxas tried to protest, tried to explain, but merely received a smart punch to the mouth. He could taste blood now and he just about lost his patience. He was about to throw all caution to the wind, when a loud shout was heard about the din.

"What are you doing? Release him, that is no way to treat visitors…"

Axel was rushing across the courtyard toward them, eyes blazing angrily.

"Prince Axel!" the man protested. "He threatened me with magic!"

The redhead slowed, coming to a stop in front of them, eyebrows shooting up.

"Is that true?" he asked.

"No!" Roxas growled. "Release me, dammit!" Axel nodded and motioned for them to let go.

"But Prince Axel…"

"Do you know who it is you're detaining?" Axel demanded. "This is Prince Roxas of Hartz." The blonde was instantly let free. He took a few safe steps away from the men who had held him, sending them glares as he went.

"He did brandish his magic at me, sir, I'm not lying about that!" the guard defended, obviously realizing that he'd made a mistake somewhere.

"I wasn't trying to threaten you!" Roxas exclaimed. "It's a standard greeting in Hartz, to present a stranger with your magic. It helps people to place your family line and it shows a degree of trust. I didn't even consider that you might take it as a threat. For that, I apologize." The man nodded warily. "I apologize as well. I reacted rashly." After Roxas accepted the apology, Axel had someone take his horse and led him inside the palace. Axel took him to a library of sorts, throwing himself down in a chair and gesturing for Roxas to do the same.

"So…what brings you all the way out here, prin-?"

"You can just call me Roxas," the blonde offered.

"Then call me Axel."

"All right, Axel. I came because I'm concerned about the treaty."

The redhead raised his eyebrows again, emotion showing clearly on his face. Roxas couldn't believe that he showed his feelings so clearly on his face. In Hartz, that would be considered weakness. He realized that he knew none of these foreign customs.

"Is there something wrong with it on your end? We both agreed to terms and studied it for days…"

"Yes, yes I know. I think, though, that we have been a bit naïve. We just expected things to fall into place and be accepted as easily as we did…but that certainly isn't the case."

The redheaded prince focused on his twisting fingers.

"You mean the rebellions? I've been controlling them as well as I can from my end…"

"That is what I mean, in part. But mostly…I think we need a way to make this concrete. A way to prove that we're serious about this and that it won't just fall apart from under our feet."

Axel nodded. "Yeah, I see what you mean. How do you suggest we go about this, then?"

Roxas shrugged. "I was hoping you might have an idea. I'm fairly new at this whole…king thing and I haven't really been crowned yet…"

Axel snorted. "You're not the only one. The most traditional way would be a marriage between our families, but…my sister is only ten years old. You could see how that might be problematic…"

Roxas nodded, trying to focus and think of a way. After a few minutes of silence it seemed to hit him like a bolt of lightning.

"What about us?" he asked. Axel looked supremely shocked for a moment. "You can't be serious," he intoned. Roxas looked away, eyes focusing on the floor.

"Well…I mean…I've never really been all that interested in girls, so my subjects won't question anything. If you're one of those people who wants to marry for love, we can come up with something else…"

"Yeah," Axel snorted sarcastically. "Marrying for love, what a ridiculous notion."

"You know as well as I do that love is hardly involved in the marriage of royals. A marriage would form the unity we need. Whatever, I've made my offer. You decide what to do with it." He stood and made his way toward the door.

"You would honestly spend the rest of your life with someone you hardly know, someone you don't love, just to promote peace?" Axel spoke up as Roxas' fingers touched the doorknob. Letting his hand drop back to his side, Roxas turned to look the redhead straight in the eyes.

"I would do anything for my people," he declared solemnly. "If this is what it takes, then it's what I'll do." Axel let out a long sigh before he nodded.

"Yeah, all right. I'll do it, then." Roxas blinked in shock for a moment before asking, "Seriously?" He half expected the redhead to exclaim it had only been a joke, but he just nodded in earnest.

"Honestly and truly. I could do worse then you."

"Thanks a lot," Roxas snorted. "You'll have to come back to Hartz with me. My coronation is in two days, I'll have to present you before my subjects, and you have a lot to learn about life at my court."


	4. Meet the Parents

A/N: Jeez, sorry this took so long to post. Real life has recently shot me in the face and I'm still recuperating. For the person who PMed me, pointing out how much this sounds like Hawksong by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, that's because it basically is. That's where I got the idea from, and since you read it, you probably already know the ending. Kindly don't ruin it for anyone else, please.

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 3

"All right, so repeat it to me again," Roxas demanded. Axel sighed and leaned back in his chair, eyes focusing on the ceiling.

"Heart, Light, Darkness, Thunder, Fire, Water, Ice, Earth, Illusion, Air, Time, Gravity. It's important to remember who has what power because that keeps order of social class straight."

"Except for?" Roxas prompted.

"Ah, right. Except for royalty, who is the highest social tier no matter what their magic is."

"And?" Roxas asked, sighing a little bit.

"When I meet someone for the first time, I present them with my magic."

Roxas nodded and smiled exhaustedly. "Very good. You've learned a lot in just one day." Axel massaged his temples.

"I feel like my brain is oozing out of my ears. What do say, can you see it?" He turned his head to the side, sweeping his hair out of the way.

"You're stupid," Roxas snorted.

"Roxas!" Axel exclaimed. "Is that any way to talk to your fiancé?" The redhead had easily settled into the idea of their…er…union and was constantly joking about it. No one else knew, of course. Well…Sora knew. But Roxas hadn't told his father because he hadn't wanted Cloud interfering. He knew he couldn't hide behind his father's coattails for the rest of his life.

"So I don't see why you guys reveal your magic instead of just shaking hands. It seems a bit, forgive me, stupid. I mean…why would you want a perfect stranger to know exactly what you're capable of?"

"It's so you know how the social class works and how to react to certain people. As for shaking hands…well, that's just not done. It's considered weakness to show your emotions, especially if you're royalty. On top of that, we're not a really…touchy feely kind of people."

Axel blinked in surprise and then tilted his head to the side. Roxas had come to know it as the face he made when he had questions.

"So…when you announce our…engagement, it would be bad for me to touch you?"

Roxas sighed, trying to think of a way to explain it. "Well…not really bad, per se. More like…frowned upon. It would almost be the same as if you started ravishing me on stage. It just isn't done." Axel nodded slowly, absorbing the information.

"Just so you know," he warned, "You'll have to break out of that shell there. In my kingdom, we'll have to be touching basically all the time. Nothing too big; holding hands, an arm around the shoulders or waist, brushing against each other slightly."

"And…this is necessary?" Roxas asked, uncomfortable with the mere thought.

"Yup. They'll never believe it otherwise. We are a really touchy-feely people. My society is a lot less…rigid then yours. Our social classes basically don't exist…that is, unless I decide to pull the royalty card."

Roxas nodded, fidgeting at the thought of so much physical contact. It wasn't that he was some sort of anti-social freak, but the thought of touching someone in public made him feel…_dirty_.

"You know," Axel spoke up, obviously noting his discomfort, "touching isn't bad. It's actually…really nice. Its nice to be touched, no matter if it's in a sexual way or just a friendly way."

"It's not that I think touching is bad," Roxas tried to explain. "It's just…its not something you do in public. At least…not the way I was raised. Of course I touch people on a daily basis…just not in front of a crowd. I don't know, I guess its just one of those hang-ups of my culture. I'll get it together, though, I promise." As if to prove what he was saying, he raised a hand and ran his fingertips across Axel's cheek. His skin was unnaturally warm and Roxas found himself drawn to it. His simple stroke continued as he brought his fingers to the place just under the redhead's left eye.

"Your skin is really warm," Roxas breathed.

"It's part of having fire magic," Axel explained, hand reaching up to cover Roxas'. The door slammed open, causing Roxas to jump and jerk his hand away from Axel. The redhead in question was on his feet in a moment, fire enveloping his hands, crackling and hot. Roxas could feel the heat of the flame from where he stood.

He was impressed with such magical energy. A person's life force was made up of their magical energy. The more advanced the magic, the more life used up. Of course, one could always take the magic back in after they'd finished casting a spell, but sometimes it couldn't be done. Every once in a while, someone used a spell so strong they didn't have the energy to bring the energy back in. When that happened, they faded. They didn't die, they just…disappeared. Roxas had seen it happen only once, when he was a very small child. The image still haunted him.

"Prince Roxas! You shouldn't be alone in here with him, he can't be trusted! Why can't you just be a good charge and stay where I can find you!" Larxene was the one who had come charging through the door. The air crackled with her power.

"I trust him implicitly, Larxene," Roxas assured her. "I hardly think you have to tail me when I'm in the castle, anyway."

"Yeah? And what about when you snuck out to go get him all by yourself? You could have been killed."

"I can take care of myself…"

"Oh obviously!" Larxene snapped. "If I had meant you harm, you'd be dead all ready. He snapped right into action and you still haven't accessed your magic." Roxas froze, glancing back at Axel a bit sheepishly. He wasn't usually so slow to act. In fact, he was a very good, alert fighter. Axel had been distracting him, that was all.

"She's got a point, you know," Axel shrugged, banishing his fire and settling back in the chair. It was staggering, the difference between his towering height when he stood and when he sat. If Roxas had to guess, he'd say the redhead was about 6'5". At Roxas' less then winning height of 5'8", he was almost a foot shorter then his…fiancé. That was definitely going to take time to get used to.

"All right, fine," Roxas admitted. "I was a bit slow today. But you know that I'm not usually…"

A knock sounded at the door and Sora poked his head in a moment later. "Ah, Roxas! There you are! Hello, Axel!" The redhead waved halfheartedly, his eyes instantly zeroing in on Riku. The two didn't really get along well. Riku kept a civil tongue, bound by his duty, but he made it extremely clear that he wasn't happy with the arrangement.

"Roxas, dad is looking for you. I think he knows." Roxas stared at his brother for a long moment.

"How would he know, Sora? You're the only one I told."

"Knows what?" Larxene demanded. As Riku questioned nothing, Roxas figured Sora had already informed him.

"Nothing, Larxene. It's none of your concern," Roxas brushed her off. "Where can I find him?" He directed this last question at Sora.

"He's in the banquet hall with mom. She's gone a bit crazy with the preparations for your coronation." Roxas sighed, just imagining the havoc his mother might be wreaking upon the poor maids.

"I guess I better go intervene." Roxas lowered his voice, pulling Sora close. "Be sure that Riku and Larxene don't try to kill Axel while I'm gone, please?"

Sora laughed. "I've got Riku covered. Larxene, on the other hand, I'm not so sure about. It might be better if you take him with you." Roxas sighed, not liking that he was going to have to explain to both his parents-at the same time-about his decision to marry someone he'd known for hardly a week. Usually, when he had big news, he told his mom and got her on his side and then used her to convince his dad. It looked like he had no choice now.

"Come on, Axel. I guess now is a good time as any for you to meet my mother." He led the redhead throughout the castle until they reached the banquet hall. There were new tapestries hanging everywhere, the decorations fit for, well, a king. It was only half done and his mother stood in the middle of the room, her hands clasped to her chest, giving orders to the decorators.

"Ah. Both your parents are short. That makes so much sense," Axel grinned.

"And what about you?" Roxas shot back. "Your father is hardly taller then mine. Is your mother a giant or something?"

Axel just laughed and shook his head. "No. My mother is pretty short too, actually. I'm what you would call an anomaly."

"You've got that right," Roxas teased. They both fell silent as they approached his parents. Roxas' mother was a pretty brunet with bright green eyes. She wore a pink dress, almost like a stereotypical storybook princess.

"Roxas!" She exclaimed as if it had been years since they'd last spoken. Her voice was sweet and soft. "You must be Prince Axel of Ne'erwas."

"Yes, ma'am." Axel hesitated for a moment before extending his hand, letting flames snap to life on his palm. Aeris smiled, extending both of her hands, one releasing a slight pink glow and the other morphing green. A daisy rose up from the center of her palm, real as if she had just pulled it from a garden.

"You…have two hands of power," Axel almost sputtered.

Aeris nodded. "Yes. The hand of Earth and the hand of Heart."

"And…that's how you healed Demyx," Axel said to Roxas, as if everything suddenly made sense. "You have two hands of power, also."

Roxas shook his head. "No, I just have one…but my mother's Heart mingled with my father's Light, so my magic is like a mix of the two." Axel nodded slowly in understanding.

"I see you chose to create a flower," he nodded toward the daisy still residing in Aeris' hand. "My personal guard, Marly-Marluxia, that is-has Earth magic as well. He loves flowers and has a whole garden back home." Aeris smiled delightedly.

"I'd love to meet him." Axel couldn't help but think that their meeting would be unavoidable.

"Roxas…I would like to speak to you," Cloud spoke up, his eyes hard as he looked at Axel. At that moment, Roxas knew for certain that his father knew. Aeris raised her eyebrows, looking between her husband and her son.

"All right. We can step in here for a moment." She led them into a small side passage and shut the door tightly behind Axel, as he was the last to enter the room.

"I've heard rumor that you two are planning on announcing your engagement tomorrow night," Cloud said bluntly, straight to the point. Aeris' eyes went wide and a grin broke across her face.

"Engaged! Oh, that is wonderful, Roxas! My little boy, becoming king, getting engaged! When did you grow up so much?"

"Aeris!" Cloud admonished. "This isn't a good thing. You know why they're doing it, don't you?" Aeris paused and frowned at him. A look of enlightenment spread across her face a moment later.

"Oh, Roxas! You can't marry for politics!"

Roxas sighed and took a deep breath. "I can, mother, and I will. It's for the greater good. Besides, Axel and I get along well enough."

"You can't marry and hope that love will come later, Roxas! We worked so hard to make sure that you would have the freedom to marry whom you choose and you just throw that back at us?" she was almost hysterical, her eyes glittering with tears.

"No, mom. I'm using that. I have the freedom to choose and I choose him. I know what I'm doing. I'll announce it at my coronation tomorrow night, whether you want me to or not. After that, you won't have any say in it. I'll be king. I'll outrank you." Cloud closed his eyes and sighed in defeat.

"Roxas…I really want you to think about this…" he paused and glanced at Axel. "I don't mean any offense to you, but I think you should think about this as well. This is your entire life you're giving up, for a scheme that might not work."

"Dad, the scheme isn't to make people think they can do the same thing. The scheme…is to unite our kingdoms. I mean that seriously. Our two kingdoms will converge and be one."

Cloud looked a bit foreboding. "Are you sure that is wise?"

"I've made my decision," Roxas said firmly. Aeris bit her lip, looking a bit worried.

"Roxas…the people might pull one of our own rules against us." Roxas blinked at his mother, not knowing what she was talking about. "The palace protocol says that two royal males can only marry if there is someone who can bear an heir. You and I both know that, unless Sora has a secret none of us know about, he and Riku aren't going to be getting pregnant any time soon. And don't give me that look, of course I know there is something between those two."

Roxas fought to wipe the shocked expression off his face.

"We have someone who can bear an heir. Potentially."

"And not for another ten years, at least," Axel grumbled pointedly.

"Axel has a sister," Roxas explained. Cloud sighed, massaging his temples and closing his eyes.

"You've thought of everything, haven't you? All right. I don't agree with what you're doing. In fact, I think you're both making a huge mistake. But I give my blessing."

"Thank you," Roxas said quietly. As he turned to leave, his father called out once more.

"Roxas. Axel will have to learn the ways of our court."

"Yes, I know. I've been teaching him all I can. The basics for now, just enough that he doesn't make a fool of himself tomorrow night."

"Wow. Thanks Roxas, I'm standing right here," the redhead scoffed.

"I expect you'll pay me back the same favor in front of your court," Roxas assured him.

"Yup," Axel grinned. "Three words for you. Payback's a bitch."

-------------

A/N: Haha. Payback, Axel style. Please review if you liked it.


	5. Coronation, part 1

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 4

Roxas shifted, uncomfortable in his royal dress. The white trousers clung in a weird way; much different from the loose jeans the young prince was used to. His white jacket was broad shouldered, the buttons crossing over to the left side of his chest with war metals hanging on the right. The jacket was starched stiff, making it perfectly impossible to be comfortable. There was also-much to his horror-a cape. No joke. A blue cape that trailed over his shoulders and down his back all the way to the floor. He felt extremely stupid, but he knew it was what was expected of him. He just couldn't wait for the night to be over so he could change back into something comfortable.

He was standing in the antechamber to the banquet hall, pacing back and forth. He'd been left alone, supposed to be the last one to enter so all eyes would be on him. It wasn't doing much for his nerves. He even wished that Larxene might be there, griping at him, rather then being left alone. Even Axel, a person he hardly knew, would be better then nothing.

Actually, he and Axel got on very well, all things considered. Roxas was a bit saddened that the stupid war had kept them from being friends for so long. He knew that Axel was someone he really could have been a good friend with for years on end. That was a large reason that he wasn't so worried about marrying Axel. If not lovers, they could be friends. Really good friends. And Roxas was okay with that.

A knock came on the door and a maid's head poked in.

"Are you ready, your highness?" she asked.

"To be thrown to the wolves? Not particularly." She giggled and Roxas made his way to the door. He could hear them speaking down below, and as the doors swept open, all he could think was, _'Jeez, I hope I don't trip down the stairs.'_

All the faces turned to look at him as he made his way down. His heart was beating terribly fast and he hoped his anxiety wasn't showing on his face. That would be terrible. His father waited ahead, the crown jewels resting on his frame. Their eyes met for a long moment and Roxas could see the strength that resided there. Strength, surety, and confidence. He hoped that he might one day have that same self-assurance. But he was somewhat reassured in knowing that he wouldn't be at it alone.

He reached his father and came to his knees before him, his eyes trained on the rich red carpet below him. A cleric began chanting in an ancient tongue, moving the crown jewels from Cloud to Roxas. They were heavy, much heavier then Roxas would have thought. When he had all the jewels he stood and turned to look at the crowd gathered in front of him.

"Prince Roxas, wielder of light, son of King Cloud and Queen Aeris, do you hereby promise to lead your kingdom in the best way you can, care for its people, and not abuse the power of the crown?" the clergyman asked.

"I do," Roxas answered, his voice coming out a lot more confident then he felt.

"Then, by the power vested in me under God, I name you Roxas Strife XIII, king of Hartz." There was a polite applause and shouts of "Long live the king!" After a few moments, an orchestra quartet began playing from the corner and the festivities began. Roxas quickly shed himself of the crown jewels, watching to be sure as they were securely locked up in the viewing case. He made his escape into that same side entrance, where Axel was sitting in the corner, hands folded, head bent over and staring at the floor.

He was wearing black slacks and a black silk button up shirt. Roxas' mother had forced the redhead into a tie, green the same color as his eyes. He looked substantially more comfortable then Roxas was, and yet disturbed by his attire at the same time. At least, if the way he kept shifting was any signal.

"Hey…are you all right?" Roxas asked. Axel looked up, a grin spreading across his features.

"Yes, your majesty. I'm fine."

"Yeah, hilarious. You're the first one to call me that, you know. But seriously, are you all right?"

"Just a little nervous about being presented to your court. They don't exactly like my kingdom, you know."

"Yeah, I know. But…hopefully they'll accept it. Anyway, you'll get to do this to me sometime next week." Axel grinned and nodded.

"I'll look forward to it."

They were silent for a long time before Roxas sighed. "I suppose I better get back out there. They'll expect me to mingle with the subjects so they can strike me with passive aggressiveness."

Axel laughed.

"Don't sound so happy," the blonde grumbled darkly. "You're coming with me." Axel visibly paled and Roxas motioned for the redhead to follow him. No one seemed to notice them as they made their way back up to the platform, but they certainly noticed when Roxas signaled for the quartet to stop. As the music died, everyone turned to look at the pair of them standing there. As there wasn't an outbreak of talking, Roxas assumed they didn't recognize Axel. It wasn't too surprising. A lot of the commoners never actually saw their own royal family, let alone that of their former enemy.

"As many of you know, it is traditional for the newly crowned king to name his partner within the next two months. I have made my decision already. I would like to introduce you to my fiancé, Prince Axel of Ne'erwas." The silence broke and people began whispering amongst themselves, though Roxas couldn't tell whether they were bad or good whispers. Roxas felt Axel's fingers brush his quickly, a gesture that seemed almost accidental. Roxas knew, though, that Axel had done it on purpose. The young king figured it was something to do with his nerves, but he really hoped Axel would keep his hands to himself. He couldn't afford to look bad so early on.

"Come on," he murmured to Axel. "Time to mingle. Watch out for the silver tongues."

They spent hours wading through people, receiving both obvious support and disdain. No one dared to actually voice their contempt of Roxas' decision, but they beat around the bush and hinted at it. Roxas was impressed with the way Axel handled them all, endlessly cheerful and polite, remembering all the proper codes of conduct. Roxas found that he was proud of him.

When the festivities finally dwindled down and Roxas headed up to his new bedroom, the king's suite, he was more then ready to shed his uncomfortable clothing. He wasn't aware until the very last moment, however, that Axel was still with him. He almost jumped out of his skin when he turned and saw the redhead standing there.

"Oh, uh…hey. What's up?" he asked.

"I was hoping we could talk?" Axel requested.

Roxas glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly one in the morning. He was exhausted, but Axel had put up with him for the past two days. He felt like he owed it to him.

"Uh…yeah, sure. Just…let me get changed real quick. I can feel my lungs being constricted tighter and tighter as each moment passes."

Axel shot him a watered down version of his usual grin. "Yeah, sure. Do what you have to do. I can wait." Roxas took that as an invitation to also take a shower. By the time he had cleaned up and changed into a pair of comfy blue sweatpants, Axel had fallen asleep on his bed. He held the pillow cuddled in his arms, head burrowed against the soft plush. He was stretched across the bed of his stomach, one knee curled up toward his chest. He was still dressed in formal wear; something that Roxas couldn't imagine was good for sleeping in. The shirt would most definitely be ruined. Not that he cared about stuff like that.

Not wanting to wake the prince, he crossed the room and collapsed onto the couch, pulling the throw blanket off the back and wrapping himself in it. He was asleep in seconds.

…_The battle raged in every direction, blood splattered across any and all surfaces. His heart was beating wildly and he could feel himself gasping for breath. His entire body felt heavy and he was tired, but he knew he couldn't stop and rest. He had to keep going or he would turn out just as the rest. He stumbled amongst the fallen bodies, jarringly hitting his knees. He turned just in time to see a sword swinging toward his face. With a cry of adrenaline, he shot up an arc of fire straight into the face of his attacker. The man screamed and fell to the ground in agony. He crawled a few feet away, his legs refusing to work properly. He cast his glance down, only to stare straight into the empty of eyes of his best friend…_

Roxas sat straight up, his heart racing wildly, head whipping around to look at the bed. Axel was still asleep, though he was screaming himself raw. The blonde could feel intense heat filling the room. He got up and rushed across the room to wake the redhead before he started a fire. He wrapped his hands around the redhead's wrists and his green eyes snapped open at once. He let out a loud snarl and fire shot across his hands in a struggle to break free.

"Axel!" Roxas cried. "Axel, stop it, it's only a dream!" Everything fell silent as Roxas saw life fill the young prince's eyes. The fire dissipated and Axel slumped forward, forehead resting against Roxas' chest. He was shaking slightly and it took Roxas a long moment to realize that he was gasping for breath. Almost as if he was crying without tears. Not knowing what else to do, Roxas released his wrists and instead wrapped his arms around the redhead's waist, rubbing his back consolingly. Axel took this as an invitation, arms quickly clinging around Roxas, pressing their chests flat together. Roxas wondered if touching was huge part of Axel's culture, but that didn't really seem to matter so much at the moment. The physical contact was calming the redhead down, that was what was important. A moment later the door burst open and Larxene was there, along with several other of the guard. Roxas felt sudden panic and moved to release Axel. As he did this, though, Axel only clung tighter, leaving him no choice but to continue to hold on.

"Your majesty…?" Larxene trailed off, raising an eyebrow at the scene before her. "I thought I heard…screaming."

"It was nothing, Larxene. It's all taken care of now," he said.

"Are you sure?" she pressed, her eyes focusing obviously on Axel, who was trying very hard to control his shaking.

"Yes, I'm sure. Sorry to have taken you from your bed." Very slowly, she tucked away one of her throwing knives and backed out of the room, closing the door tightly behind her.

Despite this, it was a long time before either of them spoke. Surprisingly enough, it was Axel.

"Sorry about all this. I came in here to talk to you and kicked you out of your own bed and woke you up on top of that…"

Roxas dismissed the apology. "It's fine, really. I don't mind so much. I just…can't imagine what could have made you scream like that." Axel shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled. Roxas nodded, slowly becoming used to the extra body clinging to his own.

"All right. Then what about what you were going to say earlier?"

Axel sighed and turned his face into Roxas' neck, his breath tickling the skin as he breathed.

"I was just wondering…do you think what we're doing is really the way to go about it?"

Roxas shrugged. "You don't have to do it, if you don't want. You can back out at any time, just say the word. I won't be terribly offended, I promise."

"I don't want to do that to you," Axel protested. "It's not really fair…and I want to help my kingdom. It's just…been drilled into me since I was a kid that marriage is for love, not for politics."

"Look, Axel, I'm thinking of it this way. You and I…well, I think we could have been really good friends if that stupid war hadn't been happening our entire lives. If that's all we are for the next however many years, then that's okay. We don't have to be lovers…we can just be friends."

"That's a good theory, Roxas, but a man has needs," Axel protested his voice sounding sleepy.

"That's what mistresses are for," Roxas shrugged. "You do what you feel you have to. It's not like we'll really be married. By law, yes, but in any other aspect…not really. Of course, the subjects can't know that…"

"It's a sad thought," Axel interrupted him. "Marrying with the intent of cheating. I don't like it."

"Like I said," Roxas offered. "You can do whatever you want. I won't stop you."

"Maybe I want us to fall in love," Axel challenged, finally pulling away to stare Roxas in the eyes. He stared back unabashedly.

"It could happen," Roxas conceded. "I won't write it off as impossible." Axel gave him a strange grin before returning his face to Roxas' neck.

"You're odd, did you know?" he murmured sleepily.

"You too," Roxas returned as if it were a compliment. It wasn't long before they both drifted off to sleep like that.

------------

A/N: Hmm…Axel has nightmares. Then again, who wouldn't after a whole life of war? By the way, Roxas' royal dress is basically a US Marine's blues uniform in white rather then blue. I think they are rather snazzy looking.


	6. Cat and Mouse

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 5

While the night before Roxas hadn't had a second thought about holding Axel while he was upset, it was a tiny bit awkward to wake up to. Especially because Axel slept on peacefully. Roxas lay on his back with most of Axel's weight rested across his chest, the redhead's face still in his neck. His breathing was deep and even, tickling Roxas' neck. Where they had been clutching each other before, now their arms lay limp, one of Roxas' stuck between their bodies. He couldn't really feel it all and knew that the limb would later be rather painful as the blood started to circulate through it again. He was also very warm. Not to point where it was uncomfortable, more like spending the evening by the fire. Pleasant and cozy. Since it was obvious that Axel wouldn't be waking up any time soon, he used that comfort to distract him from the awkwardness and drifted back to sleep.

The next time he woke up was because he was cold. The clock said that it was nine o' clock in the morning. The double doors that led to the balcony outside his room were wide open, a cool breeze sneaking in through them. Roxas shivered and stood, moving to close the doors, wondering why they were open in the first place. He found the reason in the form of Axel smoking. He was leaning against the banister, studying the marketplace far below with a pensive look on his face.

"Smoking is bad for you, you know." Roxas spoke quietly. Axel's shoulders tensed slightly, but that was the only signal that Roxas had surprised him. He reached up and plucked the cigarette from between his lips, exhaling a sweet smelling smoke.

"Not for me," he informed Roxas. "These are a special type of cigarette. Instead of tobacco, it's filled with sweet mint and enchanted with shielding magic. It keeps my internal fire from damaging my body when my emotions get the better of me." Roxas cocked an eyebrow, intrigued at this thought.

"Why sweet mint?" he asked.

Axel shrugged. "Dunno. I 'spose it's an anchor for the magic."

Roxas remembered how the room had been heating up when Axel was in distress.

"So…your magic is based off your emotion?" Roxas asked, lifting himself to sit on top of the banister next to where the redhead leaned. He took another drag off the cigarette and looked at Roxas. When he exhaled, the sweet smelling smoke made Roxas choke and cough.

"Sorry," Axel apologized. "The only thing that controls my magic is me. My emotions…well, they influence my powers a lot, I guess. If I'm feeling any particular emotion strongly, they tend to leak out without my permission. The fire sort of…eats away at the inside of my body. Without the proper treatment, it can be fatal. That's why there are so little fire-eaters around. Most of them get consumed in their own fire. My family discovered these," he gestured to the cigarette, "a couple hundred years ago and they seem to do the trick. They reinforce our internal defenses…fireproof them, I guess is a good way to say it."

"Why do it in the form of a cigarette? Why not a pill or something?"

Axel laughed and shook his head. "Damn, Roxas, I don't know. Maybe they didn't want it to look like we have a weakness. No one, except for my family and you now, knows that this isn't just a regular cigarette. Maybe they just think we all smoke them out of habit."

Roxas thought about that for a while. It did really make sense. It wasn't smart to reveal your weaknesses, especially if you ruled somewhere. In fact, it was just plain stupid. Using the remedy in the form of a cigarette was actually quite ingenious.

"So…wait a second," Roxas spoke up, coming across a tiny flaw. "What did you do when you were younger? Or better yet, what about your sister? Does she walk around smoking cigarettes at ten years old?"

Axel shook his head with a small grin. "No. When I was younger they gave it to me like a Breathalyzer treatment. Same as if I had asthma, just a different medicine for it. As for Kairi…well, she doesn't have to worry about it. She doesn't have fire."

Roxas fought to keep his face neutral. "What do you mean she doesn't have fire? Her magic hasn't developed yet? Isn't she a bit old for that?" Axel shook his head, reaching out a hand and rubbing Roxas' spikes as if he were a silly child.

"Of course her magic has developed. It's just not fire. It's Heart."

Roxas' eyes widened. If there was magic rarer then that of Darkness, it was Heart. There had only been three documented cases of it in history, not including Roxas' mother, and apparently, Axel's sister. What was the likeliness that the same rare power would show up in the royal families of two different kingdoms at the same time? Not very high, and yet there it was. Perhaps it was merely a case of people not knowing about their magic. Maybe most of the people who were believed to be without magic actually wielded Heart without knowing it. It was most definitely a thought to consider.

"Yeah, I know," Axel snorted. "Impressive, right? My parents sure seem to think so." He sounded bitter. Roxas could relate, in a sense. Everyone loved Sora, and yet Roxas seemed to rub them the wrong way somehow. Not that he was hated, but he just wasn't loved unconditionally the way Sora seemed to be.

"It's hard, to have a sibling that outshines you," Roxas said conversationally, almost as if he weren't insinuating what he actually was.

"Yup," Axel agreed half-heartedly. "It's not like I hate her for it or anything. Kairi's a sweet kid…but she's just so great at everything without even trying. I mean, she's seven-almost eight-years younger then me and sometimes I'm convinced she's so much smarter. I've tried to convince my father that she would make a better queen then I would a king. He knows it too, I can see it in his eyes. He agrees with me, but for some reason he insists that it be me. It all seems like some sort of cruel joke sometimes."

"Maybe he sees potential in you," Roxas suggested, studying the marketplace below as if he'd never seen it before.

"Yeah, maybe," Axel snorted sarcastically. "I kinda doubt it, though. It's because I'm the son. He's probably hoping I'll get assassinated so Kairi can rightfully take over."

Roxas froze for a split second before looking up, trying to see if the redhead was serious or not.

"You don't…really think that, do you?" he asked, crossing his legs in front of him, hands toying nervously with each other.

Axel sighed and lifted his head. "No. I don't really think that. I'm just being overly dramatic. It happens sometimes, after I have a bad nightmare. The castle healer says its depression due to all the loss I've suffered. Apparently a lot of people live with depression nowadays, though, so he says it's nothing to worry about. They just added the medication to the cigarettes and there ya go. Insta-cure."

Roxas couldn't imagine that Axel suffered from depression. He just didn't seem like the kind. He was sarcastic and witty and…fun. How could someone who always seemed so happy and carefree have such burdens? Obviously he was as good at hiding his emotions as Roxas himself was. A knock sounded on the door and it cracked open a moment later.

"Your majesty…?" a woman's voice asked uncertainly.

"We're out on the balcony," Roxas called, a little bit disappointed that their conversation had been interrupted. A maid appeared in the doorway a moment later.

"Excuse my interruption, your majesty," she said with a quick bow of her head. "I was told to remind you that the Guard ceremony is to take place today."

"Is it?" he frowned, wracking his brains and trying to remember if anyone had mentioned it to him.

"Yes, sire," she answered, still avoiding making eye contact.

"Huh…well, if you say so. Thank you, Yuna, you can go." She looked a bit surprised that he knew her name, nodded, and scurried out the door.

"Do all your people act like that around you?" Axel questioned, grinding out the end of his cigarette against the underside of the banister. He squeezed his hand tightly around the filter and when he opened his fingers again, black dust rested on his palm. He blew the dust away and turned to look at Roxas with his eyebrow raised.

"What? With respect?" he asked, confused by the question.

"No…I mean like you're some kind of untouchable god."

Roxas frowned. "They don't treat me like a god, they treat me like a king. Just because you act like a commoner amongst your people doesn't mean I have to." Axel's eyes narrowed menacingly.

"What's wrong with treating my people as if they're human?"

"Are you saying I treat mine like animals?" Roxas snapped back, crossing his arms defensively over his chest. They glared at each other silently for a long while before yet another knock came on the door.

"Who is it?" Roxas spoke up, not tearing his murderous gaze from the redhead.

"It's Riku, your majesty."

Roxas called for the guardian to enter, finally looking away from the prince. Riku was dressed in his blues, looking quite snazzy. The navy blue of the uniform set off his features very well and the medal-laden jacket fit just right.

"Your majesty…"

"You've known me since we were children, Riku. You can call me Roxas."

Riku nodded, his face completely serious. "Roxas, the ceremony will be at the top of the hour. I suggest you and your Rey get ready."

Roxas nodded wearily. "Yes, all right. Is that all?"

Riku looked uncertain for a moment before shaking his head. "I just wished to inform you before the ceremony that the Royal Guard will be…smaller. I received somewhere around fifteen resignations this morning." Roxas swore quietly before getting a hold on his emotions again.

"All right. Thank you, Riku. Unless you've got more to report, can you please excuse us?"

Riku bowed his head slightly. "Of course, sire." He, too, left the room.

"Listen," Roxas growled at Axel. "We both realize that our cultures are extremely different. You stay off mine and I'll back off yours."

"Yeah, fine." Axel growled. Roxas opened the door and called out, "Larxene?" knowing the blonde guard wouldn't be far away. Surely enough, she popped around the corner, raising an eyebrow. "Would you please escort Axel to his room and make sure that some of the more…enthusiastic guards don't try to stick a knife in him?" Larxene, looking quite like she'd like to knife the redhead herself, nodded.

"Thank you. And Larxene, please be nice." She sent him a look that clearly said she wasn't promising anything. Roxas knew that was the most he could ask of her. Once they were both gone, Roxas threw himself down on his bed, letting out a loud groan. Things were going to be a lot more difficult then he had anticipated.

Noticing that he had half an hour until the top of the hour, he bathed quickly and pulled on passable attire for such an occasion. He slipped into a gray suit with a bright blue shirt, instantly feeling uncomfortable. Roxas wanted to find the person who had invented suits and spit on their grave. He forwent the tie, figuring he could claim his right to a lack thereof. He was an absolute monarch, after all. Ooh…maybe he could pass a law in which ties were illegal. Yeah…that could definitely work. He'd just finished getting ready when yet another knock came on the door. He sighed and went to answer it.

"Dad!" He said with surprise. He wasn't sure why he was so shocked to see the Dowager Prince, considering he still lived in the castle. It was just…weird.

"It's time for the Guard ceremony," Cloud said, looking serious. "I thought you should know…"

"Fifteen of the guard quit, I know," Roxas sighed, massaging his temples. "Riku told me about it already."

"That leaves us with a substantial lack of people," Cloud frowned. "You'll have to have them replaced with novices. Fortunately, most of them who quit were fairly new, though we lost two or three of the more experienced soldiers."

Roxas nodded his head, feeling a sharp headache coming on. What stressful news for the first day on the job.

"How's the standing army?" Roxas asked as they started down towards the ballroom. "We haven't lost many of them, have we?"

"No," Cloud shook his head. "Riku says he has high spirits for them. He thinks they don't care because they aren't directly putting their lives on the line to defend their greatest enemy." Roxas rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"It's so stupid, really. He's their Rey. Or, at least, he will be."

"They won't believe it, Roxas. Not until they have the proof right in front of their faces. Even then, they might have trouble. They're troubled people, not very trusting of others. For them, this is almost like the mouse marrying the cat. It just doesn't happen. The people are afraid that, once you have your guard down enough, you can easily be killed or controlled and they'll be at the mercy of the Ne'erwas," Cloud explained.

"Great," Roxas intoned. "You're basically telling me that my people don't trust me to protect them."

His father could only offer a shrug. "You're inexperienced, Roxas. I believe in what you're capable of, and there are many others who will as well, but for some people, I'm the only king they've ever known. Everyone alive at this point has only ever lived through war and turmoil. They aren't sure how to go about reacting to change and peace. They will, but you just have to give them time now."

Roxas sighed loudly, knowing that his father was right. He just had to wonder how he was going to change the minds of an entire kingdom.

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A/N: So…not a whole lot happening in this chapter, but it's got some important dialogue in it. Maybe a little bit boring, I will admit, but I hope you won't judge me too harshly. Oh! My friend Andrea drew a Kingdom Hearts picture of me!!! Here's the link! psychokookiefreak(dot)devi ant art(dot)com/art/Clock-Tower-116146539 Just take out the spaces in deviantart and make the (dot) a (.) w/o the parenthesis. Got it?


	7. The Swearing In

Hey guys. I just wanna take a quick second to apologize for my serious lack of consistent updating. The problem is that I have my SATs and my AP US History exam coming up in the very same week. That, as you can probably understand, makes me very busy. Hopefully I'll have more time after that, but it being the end of my junior year, I'm not really sure I will. But I promise, I'll try to be as consistent as possible.

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 6

Roxas and Axel hadn't had another chance to speak since Axel had been sent to get ready. Judging by the subtly venomous looks being sent his way by the redhead, though; Roxas figured he was still pissed off. Well, that was his problem. Roxas didn't have time to nurse the prince's hurt feelings, not when he had more important things to be doing. It was really weird; they'd been getting on so well and all of a sudden they were at each other's throats. Maybe it was just in their blood to want to fight each other.

He tried to focus on the proceedings rather then his own thoughts, watching as the obviously small amount of guards took their vows in front of a watching crowd. Roxas recognized every single one of them, people who had guarded his father and were now lining up to guard him. A brunet man by the name of Leon with a wicked-looking scar stretched across his nose, between his eyes. A large redheaded man called Lexaeus, a man with braided hair and spectacular sideburns known as Xaldin. Luxord was a skinny but stable blonde man with a love for playing cards. There was also, of course, Riku and Larxene. Riku had wanted to take Larxene off Roxas' duty and replace her with someone, for lack of a good word, better. She, however, had pitched a fit and threatened to resign if he did that. So, Larxene stayed as Roxas' personal guard. Six. There were six people left in the Royal Guard out of the original twenty-one.

He snapped back to attention as he realized the small group was heading toward him in a line, lowest ranking first. Roxas jerked his head to Axel, signaling the redhead to join him at the front. He obediently approached, apparently not letting his temper get in the way of duty. Good man. Larxene knelt in front of them, taking both their right hands in each of hers. Roxas could see her eyebrow twitching slightly, no doubt at the thought of swearing fealty to her greatest enemy. Still, she spoke her vow just as she was supposed to.

"To my king, I promise loyalty. My blade shall protect your kin and land. I shall follow your word with utmost devotion. To my rey, I place my trust and allegiance. Should blood be shed, my life ever before theirs."

She pressed her forehead to their hands, stood, and backed away. One by one, they approached and swore the same vow until Riku reached them at last. He bowed before them as well, taking both of their hands. As commander, his vow was different.

"To my king and my rey, I promise that I will train your protectors to the best of my ability. I will lead them well so we might be your warriors when you are in need. To my king, I promise loyalty. My blade shall protect your kin and land. I shall follow your word with utmost devotion. To my rey, I place my trust and allegiance. Should blood be shed, my life ever before theirs." Riku kissed their hands and backed away as well, taking the final place in the miniscule group.

Roxas hoped beyond all hope that the lives of the guard wouldn't have to come before his own. He hoped that the pointless bloodshed would come to a stop. Hopefully, the act of marriage would be enough. Roxas knew, then, that he would have to give up his pride. If things were going to work, if he was going to protect his people, he needed to just grin and bear Axel's apparent mood swings. If he had to become passive and let his rey do whatever he wished, then he would, without a doubt. Just as long as Axel didn't hurt Roxas' people, he could live with that. He didn't want to, but he could.

Much later, after a large feast and much socializing, Roxas was alone in his room for a few sacred minutes of alone time. He'd convinced Larxene to stand outside his door instead of staying in the room with him. He laid out on his bed and closed his eyes, stretching out and trying to relax completely. He'd almost succeeded when a knock sounded on the door. Trying not to cuss too loudly, he called in a weary voice, "Enter." The door cracked open and, alas, it was Axel who entered.

"I have a question for you," the redhead stated, dropping onto the couch and making himself comfortable. Roxas didn't bother moving.

"Shoot," he said from his position.

"Well…people keep mentioning a rey. I would assume that they are talking about me. What the hell does it mean?"

"It's like the male version of the queen," Roxas explained tiredly. "I, being the true blood king have more overall power then you do. As in, I can overrule your orders as pertaining to my kingdom. When the residing male king marries another male, we call them a rey instead of a queen. It seemed a little less, excuse my vernacular, gay."

"Oh," Axel said thoughtfully. "That's kind of weird. In Ne'erwas, you'll just be considered king. We'll both be king, we'll share the power evenly." Roxas stayed quiet, not wanting to snap back a retort about the 'weird' comment. Axel seemed to notice this as well, because he sighed and approached the bed, looking down on the blonde king.

"Look, I'm sorry that I was being an ass earlier. I have this disease where I just say really rude things all the time," Axel said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"You mean you're a jerk," Roxas said bluntly.

Axel grinned and nodded. "Yeah, but now it's a disease and they have pills for it," he explained.* Despite himself, Roxas found himself smiling and even letting out a little chuckle. Regaining his serious demeanor, Roxas just nodded.

"It will be hard, I get that. Trying to join our two kingdoms, even we'll have problems because of the way we were raised. But they're going to be depending on us to lead them…"

"And we have to set a good example," Axel sighed as if he were being lectured, which, perhaps he was. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, I'll try to keep my idiocies under control."

Roxas closed his eyes and stretched, feeling his back crack as he moved. He let out a small moan of pleasure at the sudden lack of tension in his muscles. When he opened his eyes again, he was surprised to see that Axel's face was hardly inches from his own. He gasped slightly, staring up at those green eyes, the only thing he could really see.

"I want to try something," Axel said quietly. Roxas knew the redhead was going to kiss him. He didn't quite know if he wanted that, but he also didn't have any time to protest before the prince's lips covered his. His body reacted without his mind's consent and his hands came up to cradle the redhead's face, his lips pressing back gently. Axel responded with enthusiasm, his mouth opening just the slightest, his tongue brushing Roxas' lips.

Roxas tensed somewhat, but it was enough that Axel felt it. The redhead pulled away quickly, standing up and backing several paces away.

"Sorry," he muttered, fingers clenching slightly. "I probably should have warned you."

"I…saw it coming," Roxas said quietly. "I just…don't really…"

"Think of me that way, I know," Axel answered, sounding upbeat again. "I was just…sort of curious. Wouldn't want to marry a bad kisser, you know."

Roxas snorted, glad at the prince's attempts to make things less awkward.

"And?" he asked. "Do we have to call things off?"

Axel actually laughed that time and shook his head. "Nah, I think you'll do."

A knock came on the door, interrupting their attempts at playful banter. They both looked at the door and Roxas just rolled his eyes and then closed them, relaxing back on the bed. He didn't want to deal with any more people that day, though he knew he would have to. Axel took the initiative as another knock sounded.

"Come on in," he called, causing Roxas to open his eyes and glare at him. A pink haired man entered, one that Roxas recognized from Nocoraz'on. A wide grin spread across Axel's face.

"Marly!" he greeted with a grin. "What brings you around?"

"It is my job to make sure you don't get yourself killed," Marluxia said stiffly, his eyes focusing on Roxas. The blonde stared back, refusing to be deterred from one of his few chances to relax. He lifted himself on his elbows and stared back.

"I can assure you he's perfectly safe while in my personal chambers," Roxas said. "Is there something specific that you want?" Marluxia bit back a growl, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"I was just making sure my prince was still alive. I can't say I trust yours to keep him in as good a condition as I left him in…"

"Marly," Axel spoke up, his voice hard and cheerful at the same time, filled with warning. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. If things went wrong, I'd be okay. There's no need…"

"I'm just trying to do my job, highness," Marluxia shot back, scowling.

"Well, it's unnecessary," Axel spoke carefully. "We're heading back to Ne'erwas tonight, in which case you can guard me all you want. For now, though, I'm fine, so you can do as you will."

Knowing that he was being dismissed, Marluxia sent one last hostile glare at Roxas and turned away. When he was out of earshot, Axel let out a hissing breath.

"Larxene," he called, taking initiative. Roxas just watched, wondering what the redhead would do. Not daring to disobey her future rey, Larxene entered the room looking severely pissed.

"Yes?" she said, her voice harsh.

"If you could get someone to watch out for him while he's here. I'm afraid I don't quite trust him to be left to his own devices." Looking slightly surprised, she nodded slowly and then created a bolt of lightening, the sound of thunder carrying her message out to a guard in the castle.

"Thank you," Axel said before closing the door. It was all Roxas could do not to smile. Maybe things would work out.

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* I stole this from the movie P.S. I Love You. It's the best and I cry every time.


	8. Fatal Race

A/N: Yup. Posting two chapters today because the last one is kinda boring and I feel so damn guilty...

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 7

The ride to Ne'erwas was long and harsh, especially since it started to rain on the way there. Axel, apparently, didn't fare very well with cold water and he spent the entire ride cursing the elements under his breath. Roxas found this the slightest bit amusing, considering the fact that the redhead's magic was based on elements.

Roxas urged Luz up to keep pace with Axel's steed. The prince had briefly explained that the horse's name was Flurry of Dancing Flame, or just Flurry for short. Apparently, Axel's younger sister had named the horse and it refused to respond to anything else. It was beautiful horse, though.

"Are you all right?" Roxas asked as Axel sneezed violently, almost knocking himself from his perch. Straightening up, he nodded wearily, wrinkling his nose slightly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's only the rain. I have a sort of allergy to it." Roxas stared at the redhead in disbelief.

"You're allergic to water?" he asked skeptically.

Axel cast him a glance and rolled his eyes with a small grin.

"No, I'm not allergic to water," he snorted. "I just have allergic symptoms in the rain. As soon as its gone, they'll go away."

"Weaker in rain, huh?" Roxas said with a slight grin. "That would have been good to know." Axel narrowed his eyes slightly, looking defensive.

"I'm not weaker, dammit!"

"All right, sure," Roxas answered playfully. Ahead, he could see the Castle and town looming over the horizon. It wouldn't be much longer until they were there.

"I'll prove it to you," Axel challenged, pulling the reins to make Flurry stop. Roxas did the same, slightly puzzled. Why would he stop them so close to their destination? It really didn't make any sense, especially if one considered the fact that Axel had been the one complaining most about the weather.

"You and I, we'll race," he said. "Right now. Whoever reaches the city gates first wins." Roxas grinned despite himself and nodded.

"I accept your challenge."

"You can't be serious!" Larxene called.

"Axel, you're acting like a child!" Marluxia added. Their words were lost, though, in the sound of beating hooves as the two royals took off in the direction of the castle. Larxene cussed and spurred her own horse faster, determined to keep close to her charge. The dust turned mud from the ground flew up under the horses' hooves, Axel drawing just a bit ahead of Roxas.

"What's the matter, Roxy? Can't keep up?" Axel called over his shoulder. Roxas scowled and spurred Luz to go faster, drawing up so the two horses were nose and nose. Just as they reached the last thirty-foot stretch, though, Luz inexplicably drew to a stop. Roxas wrinkled his brow and spurred the horse, unable to figure out why he had stopped. A moment later, though, it was quite obvious. A snake rose up from the ground, hissing warningly.

Flurry reared up and kicked out of fear, knocking Axel from his perch. The redhead landed on the ground with a heavy splatter of mud and the horse's hooves came down on his chest. He let out a muted scream and Roxas was off his horse, rushing over to the fallen prince. He shot off a bolt of light at the snake, blasting it several hundred feet away and grabbed Flurry's reins, pulling the panicked horse away from it's injured master.

Roxas could hear Marluxia cussing angrily as he and Larxene reached them first. He jumped off his horse and rushed over to Axel, kneeling over him, checking for vital signs. Axel was well enough to swat his hand away in annoyance, but the action caused him to cough violently and spit up some blood.

"Shit! We've got to get him inside and to the doctor…"

"There's no time for that," Roxas said quietly. "His chest was crushed, he won't make it that far."

Marluxia turned on him, growling menacingly. "What the hell do you suggest we do then? Stand here and wait for him to die?"

"No. I expect you to hold this damn horse and stand back while I try to fix him," Roxas growled back, putting on his king voice. Marluxia greatly looked like he wanted to argue, but then he just nodded and moved away.

"Your majesty, you can't do this!" Larxene interjected. "You've never healed something this bad before. He'll die and you'll be at blame. They'll kill us where we stand."

"Larxene!" Roxas snapped. "No more speaking from you. He'll die if I don't try." Roxas shed his jacket and started working on the buttons of his shirt.

"Someone get his shirt off for me," he instructed as he worked. When he was met by blank stares, he growled slightly. "We don't have time to sit here like idiots, now do as I say!" he snapped. Xaldin snapped to it, pulling a knife from a sheath on his arm and beginning to cut away the fabric of Axel's shirt. Roxas threw his own off and knelt next to the prince. His eyes were slightly glazed over and he smiled in a dazed sort of way. Roxas wrapped his arms around the prince's torso, pressing as much of his skin as he could against the redhead's, and he began his healing.

The ribs were a huge mess, most of them broken and two sharp edges piercing the redhead's lungs. Roxas worked on fixing that first, putting things back together, piece by piece. His magic was draining quickly, energy depleting as if he were only a child just learning how to harness his powers. When he had fixed the redhead's chest as well as he could, he did a quick scan for any other injuries. He found the prince's arm had broken as well and started to work on that as well. He'd just snapped the last piece into place when he felt a sudden rush of weakness. He released Axel and gasped for breath, feeling lightheaded.

"Sire?" Larxene questioned tentatively. "Are you all right?" Roxas nodded, trying to capture the wisps of energy from the air around him so he could have the strength to walk.

"What about Axel?" Marluxia demanded. "How is he?"

"He'll be fine," Roxas assured the pink-haired man. "Anything life threatening was taken care of. He'll just need a lot of rest." Roxas stood and the world swayed, Roxas going with it. He collapsed back to the earth almost instantly.

"I'm fine," he insisted as many of the guards tensed. "I just used a lot of energy. It will take a while to draw it all back in."

He pulled himself up on Luz, refusing any help. He felt worse by the time he was up there, but he couldn't show weakness.

"Get Axel up here," he instructed. "I'll make sure he doesn't fall."

A Ne'erwasian guard by the name of Xigbar lifted his prince using his gravitational magic until he was settled behind Roxas. He was completely unconscious by that point and slumped against Roxas' back. The blonde king was a bit nervous as to how he would manage to grab the redhead if he fell. He just had to tread carefully and hope that it wouldn't happen. They made a slow procession through the center of Castle Town and up toward the palace. Roxas wanted to move faster, sure that he would collapse at any moment himself, but he couldn't break the circle the guards had set up around their royals. Roxas wasn't quite sure if it was to hide them from view or to protect them from overzealous citizens.

They made it to the castle in one piece, thankfully. Axel was instantly rushed up to his room while Roxas was taken to the king for a meet and greet of sorts. He wanted to put it off quite badly, but he knew his duty. Reno was waiting for him in the audience chamber. Roxas greeted him with a handshake, realizing that he was making history at that moment. This was the first time in hundreds of years that the leaders of their two kingdoms had met peacefully outside of sacred ground.

Reno narrowed his eyes slightly as he greeted Roxas.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "You seem severely pale."

"I'm fine, thank you," Roxas lied. "We ran into a bit of trouble on the way here, and I'm a bit worse for wear because of it. I will be fine, though."

As soon as these words crossed his lips, however, his head spun violently, sending him to his knees and, moments later, into unconsciousness.

Roxas came to in an unfamiliar room. His skin prickled with discomfort at the thought and he threw aside the blanket covering him and jumped to his feet. Striding across the room, he opened the door and peered into the next room. He didn't see Larxene, or any guards for that matter. What he did see was a large bed in which laid Axel, eyes flicking around as if bored. Feeling immensely calmer, Roxas approached the bed.

"Hey," he greeted. "How do you feel?" Roxas himself felt much better. He wondered how long he had been unconscious for.

"I feel great," Axel answered. "Almost better then I did before Flurry stepped on me. How about you?"

"I feel fine," Roxas said.

"That's good," Axel said with a slight smile. "You've been unconscious for three days." Roxas must have made some sort of face, because Axel laughed again, his face quickly slipping from mirthful to serious. Roxas shifted uncomfortably, looking away from the redhead.

"The doctor says you came really close to fading. Why the hell would you use all that energy?" Axel's hand came out and grasped Roxas' face, forcing the blonde to look at him. Roxas merely shrugged.

"You were dying," he said. "Almost all your ribs were broken and your lungs were pierced…it took a lot of energy to save your life. It wasn't something I could half-ass, so I did everything I could."

Axel stared at him blankly for a few long moments. "So you would have faded in order to save my life? Why?"

Again, Roxas shrugged, a blush spreading over his cheeks. "I've grown rather…attached to you over these last few days. You're my friend and I couldn't just stand by and let you die, not when I could have done something about it." A smile broke over Axel's face and he patted Roxas' cheek lightly.

"Thanks, Roxas. There's no way I can really repay you…"

Roxas shook his head. "I didn't do it to get something in return. But, if you do really want to pay me back, just help me. Help me bring peace."

"Of course I will. That's why we're here, isn't it?" Roxas nodded and let out a sigh of breath. They were quiet for a few minutes before Axel spoke up again.

"Roxy, tell me something." Ignoring the nickname, Roxas cast a curious look at the redhead. Taking this as his invitation to continue, Axel asked his question.

"When you were healing me, why did you hold me like that?"

Roxas' eyebrows shot up into his hairline and he looked away, slightly embarrassed. He'd known it was scandalous to touch Axel like that in front of so many, but he hadn't cared at the time. It was his own humiliation against Axel's life and he'd made his decision. Now, though, he wondered how it would reflect on him. Of course he didn't regret doing it, but he wondered what the rumors would be like.

"You…uh…you remember that, huh?" Axel nodded grimly.

"Vaguely, but that's what sticks out in my memory most." Roxas nodded and cleared his throat. "It was the only way I could think of to heal you best. Healing is a lot about contact, especially skin to skin. I figured that the more skin contact we had, the better it would be for both of us. Considering the fact that I almost killed myself on accident, it was probably a good move." Axel nodded to show that he understood and then stared at the wall, hard at thought. Roxas sat on the edge of Axel's bed, watching the redhead to see if he was in any pain that he was too stubborn to mention. He seemed fine though, and eventually looked back at Roxas, a grin spreading across his face. Finally, Roxas asked, "What?"

Axel just shook his head and laughed.

"If not for that stupid snake, I totally would have beaten you."

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A/N: Even I'm confused at the way Roxas and Axel act around each other. I honestly don't really control any of this. They decide what they want and I write it down. It's actually quite frustrating. I get the whole plot laid out and they change it on me. Jerks. Reviews are wonderful.


	9. Coronation, part 2

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 8

It was another day and a half before Axel was well enough to leave his bed. The two royals spent that time going over the ins and outs of Axel's court. Roxas found that it was infinitely easier to handle then his own. Basically, all he had to do was treat everyone as equal until it came time for him to lead, and only then should he act like a king. It was odd, but Roxas understood it well enough.

Axel's form of revenge had left Roxas unable to look anyone in the eyes for almost three hours. He'd basically gathered people-including a rather enthusiastic Demyx-to hug him. No joke. For nearly four hours, person after person just bear hugged him tightly for nearly five minutes and then kept touching him casually. At first, Roxas had declared the redhead insane, but he had to admit, it had its affect. By the time Axel had called it all off, Roxas wasn't nearly as stiff as he had been.

Sora and Riku had come during the time he was unconscious. Apparently Larxene had sent the message that Roxas was in danger and the rest of the platoon had come shortly after, expecting bloodshed. When they found out that Roxas' injuries were self-inflicted, they didn't quite know what to do with themselves. Sora decided that he was going to stay until Roxas came to, though, so Riku stayed as well.

Life had continued on as usual for the rest of the kingdom, as the reports of Axel's injury had been kept firmly under wraps. Axel's coronation had sped up on them, looming in just a few hours. Several people had fretted over whether he'd be able to handle what they called the 'transfer of power' in his current state, but the doctors had assured them he'd be okay. One man in particular had commented on how lucky Axel had been that Roxas had taken action so quickly. Roxas couldn't figure out how a coronation could take so much out of a person, but apparently it could. Even Axel was wondering if he could take it, though he didn't say anything to anyone but Roxas.

The castle was in a bustle, as all the plans were being thrown together last minute. No one had expected Axel to be in the condition to leave his bed so quickly. Every time someone would say that, Axel would grin, rustle Roxas' hair, and talk loudly about what a hero his 'little Roxy' was. Roxas couldn't help but wonder if it was an act or the real thing.

The blonde was psyching himself up for an afternoon of touching. In public. He still shuddered at the thought, wondering what his mother would think if she saw him. He was glad that she wasn't there, though Axel's mom was almost as bad. Roxas had a sneaking suspicion that she'd get on very well with Aeris.

Tifa was a short, slightly brusque woman with a big heart. As soon as she found out that Roxas was awake, she'd come to introduce herself and brought him some food. He'd been grateful for that and he found that he liked the woman very much. She'd gushed about how they'd be family and to call her Tifa because formalities didn't exist between family.

Finally, though, Roxas was waiting for Axel to be coroneted. He stood to the side of a podium with Tifa at his side. Reno stood on the podium, dressed quite peculiarly, in Roxas' opinion. He was wearing only a pair of pants that looked to be made of snakeskin, though Axel had told him that it was dragon hide.

"They're fire-resistant," he'd explained.

Across the skin of his chest were flame tattoos, all in black ink. They stretched over his abdomen and up over his chest, jumping across the gap to circle around his arms. The flame wound down his arms until it reached his wrists, where it then became a single trail down the center of the back of his hand, forming a circle around his middle finger. This was identical on both sides. On his back was a picture of a flaming crown with a single eye set in the center. Tifa had whispered to him that it was the family crest. Other then this, Reno was wearing nothing, even his ponytail holder had been pulled out, leaving his long hair free to fall around his shoulders.

Axel entered from the opposite side of the room and instantly every eye was on him. He looked, for once in his life, completely serious. He was dressed exactly the same as his father, though without the tattoos. Roxas watched in interest as he approached the dais and Reno stretched out his hands. Axel took a deep breath and grabbed the offered hands. They stared at each other for a long moment and Axel gave a slight nod. It was hardly a second before he hit his knees, screaming in what sounded like complete agony. Both of them burst into flame a moment later, the harsh element dancing along their skin, one particularly bright flame dancing in design across Axel's arms. Roxas made to move forward, but Tifa grabbed his arm, restraining him.

"What is he doing to him?" Roxas demanded, turning to stare at the woman as she watched her only son burn.

"Axel knew what was coming," Tifa said quietly. "He knew it would hurt. Reno is transferring the family's magic into Axel. The magic is held in the lines of those tattoos and the only way to get it is through ultimate suffering."

"Will…will he be okay?" Roxas stammered.

"If he is meant to be king, yes," Tifa answered.

Roxas stared at her for a long moment, not liking the way she said that.

"And if he's not meant to be king?" Roxas demanded. She looked at him, her deep red eyes a little sad.

"If he's not meant to be king, the stress will kill him." Roxas felt his stomach plummet down to his feet. He felt like he might be sick.

"That's…that's so wrong!" he hissed. "How could you do that to your own son?"

"This is how we do things," Tifa explained. "If he's not strong enough to withstand the power of the family, he's not strong enough to lead."

Axel's tortured screams had died away and he was almost limp where he knelt. Roxas could tell that he was still alive by the way he twitched every once in a while, though.

"How long does it take?" Roxas asked, aghast. He couldn't believe a mother could watch her son get tortured and do nothing about it.

"It should be over soon," she answered. Surely enough, a moment later, the fire died away and Axel was left panting for breath on the ground. Reno's skin was free of tattoos and Axel's once perfect flesh marred with the ink.

"You have to wait," Tifa hissed as Roxas made to move again. "He has to stand up on his own and speak the vows. Then you may go to him." Very slowly, Axel staggered to his feet and turned to face the assembled crowd. He looked exhausted, but extremely pleased with himself at the same time.

"I will wield the power of my family to protect you, my people, over all else." His voice sounded strong and concise as he spoke, something that greatly surprised Roxas. "I have faced ultimate suffering for you, my people, and I would face worse if you ever were in need of my aid. This, alone, is my role as king."

Cheers filled the room, and Tifa nudged Roxas in the side.

"You can go now," she said quietly. Roxas hadn't even waited for her to finish her sentence before he was rushing towards Axel. He slipped his arm around Axel's waist and the redhead instantly shifted most of his weight onto Roxas. It was subtle so no one could tell but the two of them. Roxas couldn't imagine how much energy that little spectacle had taken out of him.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" he hissed to the redhead as Tifa ushered them out of the room. "How could you have let me walk into that unprepared?"

"What would you have done if I told you?" Axel asked. "You couldn't have changed it. I knew what I had to do and nothing could have stopped me, so I didn't see the point."

"You could have let me have time prepare myself for watching it!" Roxas snapped. "I didn't feel any pain myself, but god, I thought I was going to be sick. Those screams were terrible." Axel smiled grimly.

"You have to have seen worse then that, Roxy." Roxas shook his head.

"I've seen war, sure, but I've never seen someone I care about be tortured. That was so much worse." Roxas helped Axel to a couch, the redhead instantly slumping in his seat, his body mostly going limp. He smiled at Roxas, though, a nice smile that made the blonde's stomach flip.

"What?" the blonde king demanded. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You said you care about me," Axel grinned. "That makes me happier then you could know."

Roxas smiled hesitantly at him, chewing on his lip uncertainly.

Tifa approached with a glass filled with a frothing purple liquid.

"Drink this," she instructed. "It should pick you up real fast. It will get you through the rest of tonight, but be prepared to crash later."

Axel nodded and took the glass. He took a tentative sip and pulled a disgusted face, staring at his mother as if to say, 'you can't be serious'.

Tifa just shrugged.

"I didn't say it would taste good. It will make you feel better, though, so drink up. I recommend getting it all down as fast as you can without throwing it back up."

"Wow, mom, you're such a comfort. Thanks a lot," he sighed.

"You're a king now, you don't need your mommy holding your hand," she retorted. "When you feel up to it, get back out there and we'll present Roxas to the court." She left the two of them alone then. Axel stared at the drink in distaste for a long moment.

"All right…I guess there's no other way around it," he sighed. He took a deep breath as if preparing to jump into a lake and raised the glass to his lips. He didn't pull it away until all the liquid was gone. He slammed the glass on the table and pulled several faces while coughing his lungs up.

"Oh my god, that was disgusting!" he howled, making a show of pretending to be poisoned.

"You're an idiot," Roxas snorted affectionately. Axel grinned and nodded.

"Well, I've got to give her that," Axel said. "I do feel a lot better. Let me change real quick and then we can head back out."

Roxas nodded and waited as Axel found a previously stashed shirt. It was white and buttoned up the front, though he left the top three buttons undone and rolled up the sleeves to his elbow to show his new tattoos.

"Well, are you ready?" Axel asked.

Roxas nodded the affirmative, allowing Axel to pull him to his feet. Just as he reached for the doorknob, Roxas rose on his tiptoes and planted a quick kiss on the redhead's cheek.

"I'm glad you're all right," he said quickly before exiting the room, leaving the newly crowned king to follow him.


	10. Fireeater in Spirit

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 9

Roxas watched the crowd with slight apprehension, relieved at the sight of Riku's silver hair in the close corner and Larxene in the back of the crowd, watching carefully. They were all staring at their new king as if in shock. Roxas idly wondered how many of them thought that he wouldn't make it through the trial.

"I would like to introduce all of you to someone very special to me." Axel spoke out over the crowd, sounding sure and confident, knowing that they were all listening. "We haven't known each other personally for very long, but I don't think that matters when love comes in to play." The crowd nodded and muttered their agreement and Axel grinned, obviously pleased with the way things were going. He turned and looked at Roxas with that same grin, beckoning the blonde forward. Roxas tried not to look nervous as he approached, wondering why Axel had claimed love. He knew that Axel's people wouldn't accept them if they knew their union was merely for politics, but love? They'd hardly known each other for a month.

As Roxas reached Axel he tried to hide the deep breath he was taking and then tentatively tucked himself against the redhead's side, wrapping one arm around his waist much like he had earlier, though this time Axel put an arm around his shoulder and gave him a half squeeze hug. He also planted a kiss on the top of his head. Roxas felt an uncontrollable blush spread across his face and tried to avoid contact with anyone to keep from freaking out.

"Relax," Axel murmured before he pulled away. Roxas tried his hardest to loosen his tensed shoulders.

"This is my fiancé, Roxas of Hartz," Axel introduced. A large torrent of voices cried out, some affirmative, others not so much. Axel laughed and waved his hands to have his subjects-their subjects-quiet down.

"But…King Axel!" A voice protested above the rest. "He's a light thrower!"

Axel nodded solemnly. "Yeah, he's a light thrower. He's their king, in fact. But isn't he damn cute?" Roxas flushed once more, eyes downcast at the laughter from the crowd. Axel squeezed him once more and smiled, to show that they weren't really laughing at him.

"I must be crazy," Axel sighed. "Either way, Roxas and I, we've sworn to protect our kingdoms, and as a bonded pair, each of our kingdoms will become one. Therefore, Roxas has sworn to protect Ne'erwas, just as I have sworn to protect Hartz."

This left the room in silence for a long moment. Axel's grip on Roxas tightened slightly, though it was more tense than reassuring now. The silence only broke when a small voice spoke from directly in front of them.

"Excuse me? King Roxas?" Roxas blinked, not seeing the owner of the voice for a moment before he spotted her. She was a child, no more then ten years old. She had blonde hair and bright green eyes and she looked slightly nervous. Roxas looked at her questioningly and she beckoned him forward. He freed himself from under Axel's arm and took a step forward, stopping for only a moment when Riku hissed, "Your majesty!"

"She's only a child, Riku," Roxas responded, narrowing his eyes. "How can I expect them to trust me if I don't show some trust in them? Stand down." Riku followed his orders grudgingly, the only thing really keeping him back being Sora's hand firmly gripping his arm.

Roxas knelt in front of the girl and greeted her with a smile.

"Hi," he said. "What's your name?" Everything was so silent he was sure they could hear him all the way in the back even though he spoke in relatively soft tones.

"My name is Rikku, sire," she said quietly.

"What can I do for you, Rikku?" She smiled and shook her head.

"I just wanted to give you this." She held what looked like a thin leather strap in her hands. Dangling from the end was a small glass sphere with a bright blue flame dancing merrily inside of it. "So everyone will know that even though you aren't a fire-eater by blood, you're one in spirit." Roxas smiled again, feeling a bit touched.

"Thank you, Rikku. That's very kind of you." She smiled back shyly and indicated for him to lean his head down. He did as she said and she slipped the necklace over his head, the small sphere resting just over his heart.

"I'll treasure it forever," he promised her. She smiled and backed away, disappearing into the crowd. Roxas stood back up and retreated back towards Axel, taking the redhead's hand as they stood side by side.

"You see?" Axel said simply. There were murmurs of agreement and soon several people converged toward them to introduce themselves. Roxas could see Riku tense out of the corner of his eye, but he trusted Sora to keep him under control.

A dark-haired woman approached, grinning as she extended her hand for a shake.

"Hiya! My name's Yuffie!" She was bubbly and happy, making Roxas smile just a bit.

"Hello," he greeted. That was all he got to say before she was speaking again. "I'm part of the Royal Guard, so I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of each other! In fact, I heard Marly saying he's putting me on your personal detail!"

"Uh…personal detail?" Roxas asked. She nodded happily. "Yup. It's protocol. Every member of the Royal Family is to have at least one personal guard," she said as if reciting.

"Um…well…"

"He already has a personal guard, Yuf," Axel explained, saving Roxas from his stuttering mess of an explanation. She looked a bit put out for a moment before grinning. "Well that's okay! I work well with others! Who is it? Zexion? Or is it…"

"She's a light thrower," Axel said bluntly. Yuffie suddenly didn't look as happy. Roxas was slightly taken aback by the sudden change of mood, but he couldn't be too shocked. She'd most likely lost family to his kingdom, just as everyone else had during the pointless war. "He's keeping the Royal Guard from his own kingdom. You didn't really expect that they didn't have their own?"

Yuffie shrugged. "I hadn't thought of it," she admitted. "If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go talk to Marly." Axel nodded and she scampered away into the crowd.

Axel leaned his head down and spoke quietly into Roxas' ear. "You're doing really well. I don't think we could have hoped for a better reaction from them. They're completely convinced."

"I feel like they're judging me. Obviously they are, but I mean for different reasons."

"It's no problem, Roxy. They're only curious."

Someone cleared their throat uncertainly and Axel pressed a showy kiss against Roxas' cheek before pulling away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…"

"It's fine," Axel said cheerfully. "How have you been, Saïx? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The blue haired man gave a sort of grimace-smile and nodded.

"A few months at the least," he answered. "I hope you've kept yourself well?"

Axel nodded with a grin. "I'm still alive and kicking, aren't I?"

"There is that. And King Roxas, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Roxas shook the proffered hand and nodded. "You as well."

"AXEL!" The sudden shout interrupted their conversation, making the pair jump back out of shock. A split second later a large barrier formed around the two royals and two silver-haired males were converging upon a female. One was obviously Riku, the other someone that Roxas didn't recognize.

"What the hell is this?" Axel demanded, gesturing at the barrier.

"It's Riku's," Roxas explained. "He apparently saw something that we didn't."

Riku backed up, letting the other male handle restraining the female and turned back to them, releasing the barrier.

"She didn't get you, did she?" he asked Axel, looking slightly livid.

"Uh…no," Axel said uncertainly. "I'm fine."

"And you?" he demanded of Roxas.

"I'm fine, Riku," Roxas assured him, slightly confused. He hadn't even realized there was danger until after Riku had already acted. Riku looked relieved for a moment before he turned back to the woman being detained. The second man, whom Roxas assumed was one of Axel's guards, pulled her to her feet and then lifted his own head. Roxas could have sworn everything froze. Well, if not everything, Riku most certainly did.

"Zexion," he breathed. "And Paine…"

Roxas watched as the lead of his guard came face to face with his brother, who had been thought to be dead, and his sister who should have been back in Hartz. The only family he had in the world.

"What…the hell is going on?" Riku croaked. Axel, sensing shit was about to hit the fan, raised his hands high over his head.

"All right!" he called. "Looks like the party is over! So, uh…clear out, if you would." Taking these words as an order from their king, the room quickly cleared out. Larxene was rushing toward them, looking severely pissed. "Roxas, are you…"

"I'm fine," Roxas interrupted her.

"You three," Axel pointed at the silver-haired trio. "What the fuck is going on?"

"I'd quite like to know that myself," Riku answered, glaring at his siblings.

"Paine, why are you here trying to knife your rey?" Riku demanded. Zexion's hands remained firmly around his older sister's wrists, keeping her in place. She didn't appear to be struggling at all, though. In fact, she looked quite resigned.

"I…I followed behind when you came here a few days ago. I wanted to kill him for what he'd done to our family! How could you protect him, Riku? How could you do that?"

Riku's eyes blazed. "I don't like it anymore then you do, Paine, but I took an oath. My life first."

"Is that it, then?" Paine spat. "Duty before family?" Very slowly, Riku nodded.

"Yes. And Paine, you've committed treason. That's an instant death sentence." She held her head high and proud, red eyes flashing. "At least my death will be something noble, something father would have been proud of! At least I will die having tried to protect my king from himself!"

"Larxene, get her out of here!" Roxas snapped. "We'll take care of her in the morning." Larxene snapped to, taking the girl from her brother's grasp and leading her away.

"Wouldn't it be wiser to do it now?" Axel asked. Roxas shook his head.

"Leaving it for the morning will give her a chance to think," he said simply.

He focused on the brothers, noticing Sora out of the corner of his eyes for the first time. Sora had been the one who'd reported seeing Zexion get cut down.

"Zexion," Riku said slowly. "I don't…understand. I was told that you were dead…and you've been here this whole time? Fighting on the side of the enemy?" Roxas wanted to protest, but he knew better then to interrupt.

Zexion was now refusing to meet his brother's eyes.

"Out on the battlefield that last time we saw each other, I was slashed through the chest, but I didn't die. It looked extremely bad, but I lived through it. When I came to again, the battle was over and there were soldiers looking for those still alive. I realized that they were from Ne'erwas and I knew that I would be finished off. So I just waited, because I couldn't really do much more then that. But…I was spared. I don't really know why, but for some reason the soldier spared me. He brought me back to his home and brought me back to health. He…I fell in love with him, Riku. I couldn't leave him and I couldn't forsake all these people had done for me. Even if it wasn't for Demyx, that's his name, I would never have been able to come back. I knew too much about the inner workings here. I had to make a choice and I chose to stay and let you believe that I was dead. I figured it would be better that way. I joined the Royal Guard and stayed to defend the castle. I couldn't have gone to battle and killed my own. That, I refused to do."

"I can't believe it," Riku murmured. "All this time…and you've been here and happy…" Zexion looked a tiny bit ashamed.

"I did what I thought was best." Quite suddenly, Riku had thrown his arms around his brother, hugging him tightly.

"I thought you were dead!" Riku howled. "Do you have any idea what that did to me? Gods, Zex…"

Roxas averted his eyes from the blatant display of affection, looking up at Axel who watched in interest.

"Don't stare," Roxas hissed at his fiancé, nudging his arm slightly. The words were enough to make the brothers pull away from each other, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Excuse us," Riku apologized. Sora just smiled and nodded and Roxas quickly backed his twin up.

"Of course, it's no problem. He is your brother, after all."

"Riku," Sora spoke up. "I want you off duty tonight."

"Sora…" Riku was obviously upset. It wasn't like him to say their names plainly in front of other people.

"No, really, you and Zexion should talk."

"There was just an assassination attempt and you want me to leave you on your own?" he demanded. Sora searched for an excuse and Roxas came to his rescue.

"Riku, you're off duty tonight." Riku opened his mouth to protest but Roxas shot him a hard look. "I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. I'll have Marluxia put one of his men on Sora."

Riku scowled at his king but it was halfhearted. He was torn, wanting to talk to his brother but also wanting to protect his charge and lover.

"Marly!" Axel called, catching on. "Send in Yuffie, would you?"

"Yuffie?" Roxas questioned.

"If he trusts her enough to guard you, I trust her enough to guard Sora."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Roxas muttered. He wouldn't put it past the venomous man to pair him with someone completely inadequate in hopes that he would get killed. Then again, maybe he was just paranoid.

They left Sora in Yuffie's care, heading back towards Axel's chambers. Roxas was admittedly exhausted, but his mind was racing as they walked.

"Tell me, are things always like this?" Roxas asked. Axel cast him a questioning glance.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you brush death three times a week all the time, or just around me?"

Axel threw back his head and laughed, throwing his arm around Roxas' shoulders. Roxas subconsciously leaned in to the movement, all ready growing used to the redhead's touch.

"Now that you mention it, it's just around you. There's just something about you, I guess, that makes people-and horses-want to kill me."

Roxas frowned at the thought. "I wonder how many more times this will happen," he said. "I mean, how many times someone will try to kill one of us."

Axel shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see and be prepared in the meantime. You watch my back and I'll watch yours, all right? Not to mention the plethora of guards completely devoted to keeping us alive."

Roxas smiled a little and nodded his agreement.

-----------------------

A/N: How awesome is it that I'm done with my AP US History exam (and my SATs), there's only eighteen some-odd days left of school, and my seventeenth birthday is on the twenty-fourth? Pretty awesome, I know. Sorry this is taking so long to get out, but I'm really very busy as of late.


	11. Getting to Know You

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 10

Roxas was woken by a sharp knock on his door. He nearly jumped a mile before he realized what it was. Glancing out the window, he saw that it was early morning at the latest. He dragged himself out of bed and over to the door, opening it to find Axel. The redhead was dressed in a pair of cotton pajama pants and a robe, his red hair tied back in a messy ponytail.

"Um…hi," Roxas greeted. "It's a bit early, isn't it?" Axel grimaced.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry, but I needed some place to hide and I was sure you're the one person who wouldn't turn me in." Roxas stepped aside and let Axel in, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Why are you hiding?" he asked, returning to sit on his bed, leaning his back against the headrest. Axel did the same next to him. "Who are you hiding from?"

Axel grimaced. "My mom. She wants to talk wedding and I really don't have the patience this early in the morning."

Roxas received a slight jolt when he realized that it was him that Axel would be marrying.

"We should get my mom together with her," Roxas suggested. "Then they can be crazy together."

They were quiet for a few minutes before Axel spoke again.

"What's your favorite color?"

"What?" Roxas frowned at the redhead. "Why is that of any importance?"

"Well, it's not," Axel said. "I was just thinking and it's kinda sad that we're gonna be married and we don't know anything about each other. So I ask. What's your favorite color?"

"Um, red, I guess," Roxas answered uncertainly. "What about you?"

Axel grinned. "Red's my favorite too. You and me, Roxy, we're a match made in heaven."

Roxas snorted and rolled his eyes. "All right then…what's your favorite kind of dessert?"

"Um…lets see," Axels said thoughtfully. "How about…ooh, cheesecake. But just plain cheesecake, none of that crap drizzled with chocolate or smothered in strawberries or whatever. How about you?"

"Lemon cake, no doubt," Roxas answered instantly. Axel shot him a look that clearly said he was crazy, but shrugged and continued on.

"All right…who were your parents expecting you to marry before we went AWOL?"

Roxas immediately looked sad, his eyes darkening slightly as he looked away.

"Never mind…" Axel started to say before Roxas shook his head quickly.

"It's fine, really. I was engaged to be married to a girl named Naminé. She was a beautiful person and my very best friend. I would have been okay with marrying her just because we were such good friends. When we were fifteen, our defenses were broken and your soldiers invaded the castle. My family had been rounded up and kept in the highest tower, an attempt to keep us safe. Naminé was slaughtered in the raid."

Axel looked sad and he touched Roxas' shoulder lightly. This comforted the blonde, just in the slightest.

"I'm sorry," Axel said quietly.

Roxas just shook his head. "I've gotten over it. What about you? Who were you expected to marry?"

Axel looked a tiny bit embarrassed, a blush flushing over his cheeks. He mumbled something incoherently under his breath. Roxas grinned at the redhead's embarrassment.

"What was that?" he asked, prodding Axel's side.

"Marly," Axel said louder. "My parents thought I was going to marry Marluxia. Actually, everyone did." Roxas could feel the shock spreading across his face and there was a little jolt in his stomach.

"You and Marluxia?" he asked, aghast.

"Well…we were…"

"Oh shit!" Roxas exclaimed. "You were with him when I asked…that must be why he hates me so much!" Axel shook his head quickly.

"No, no, no, Roxy. That's not it at all! Marly and I dated for a while when we were just kids. Um…we were maybe fourteen? You definitely didn't break us up, that fell apart on its own."

"Oh," Roxas said, feeling a bit awkward.

"Yeah," Axel answered. They were both quiet for a very long time. Everything was quiet and Roxas was trying to think of something to say that wouldn't sound forced. Finally, he decided to continue on with their game and pretend the conversation had never happened.

"If you could have any one thing in the world, what would it be?" Roxas asked. Axel looked at him strangely for a long moment, almost as if he had an answer but was trying to think of something different to say.

"Um…I don't know. Reassurance, I guess. The knowledge when I go to bed every night that my people are safe until the morning."

Roxas nodded seriously. "Maybe you'll get what you want, then."

"What about you?"

"Peace, true and simple. I just want the hostilities to be over."

Axel grinned. "Then you already have it, don't you?"

Roxas shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever get it. No matter what, there will always be aggression somewhere."

"That's true," Axel admitted. "You want the impossible, I guess. Mine's sorta impossible too. Anything could happen at any time."

Roxas frowned slightly at the thought, but nodded. Of course they were both right. They couldn't do what they desired most. They couldn't protect their people from all harm at all times. It was kind of like being a parent, Roxas realized. He greatly desired for his subjects to be safe and protected, and yet he realized at the same time that he couldn't wrap them in bubble wrap and refuse to let them live their lives. He had to let them make their mistakes and do what they would, but he would be there to pick them up and dust them off when they fell over.

"You know, I just thought of something," Roxas said conversationally. He shared his epiphany with Axel, causing the redhead to laugh.

"Yeah, I can see the relation. I don't know how they would take that, though. I mean, you comparing people three times your age to toddlers."

"Yeah, I could see how they might be offended by that," Roxas conceded.

"Do you ever look around and wonder what it would be like to be a completely different person?" Roxas asked suddenly. Axel's eyebrows drew together before a pensive look crossed his face.

"Actually, yeah. I used to think about it all the time. I don't so much anymore, though."

"Yeah?" Roxas asked. "Why not?"

Axel looked at him completely serious. "I think that I'm finally happy just where I am. What about you?"

"Hm…well, I suppose I do, considering that I asked. Maybe that will change for me too."

"Why do you figure?" Axel asked.

"You," Roxas said simply. Axel looked surprised again, and maybe a bit excited by the thought.

"Me?" he asked.

"You," Roxas clarified. Axel stretched his arms high above his head and let out a huge yawn. When he was done, he grinned at Roxas once more, cocking his head to the side.

"Care to explain that to me? What is it, Roxy? Do I complete you? Have I made you the person you so truly desire to be?" he asked, batting his eyelashes. Roxas snorted and rolled his eyes.

"You just…make me feel different. Like I'm already a different person when I'm with you as compared to when I'm alone."

"Is that good or bad?" Axel pressed.

"Neither. It's just…different. Almost refreshing."

Axel nodded knowingly and then grinned.

"If you could go anywhere in Gaia, where you would go?" the redhead asked.

Roxas thought about that for a while before he came up with a good answer.

"Costa Del Sol," he answered. "I've always wanted to get in a relaxed environment like that and just…chill. You know, not having to do anything you didn't want at any given time. I think that would be the best."

Axel pulled a face. "I hate the water," he reminded Roxas sullenly.

"But Costa Del Sol is really sunny and warm," Roxas argued back. "It's one of the warmest places on Gaia."

"People go there to go to the beach. The beach is for swimming. In order to swim you need water. Water is the devil," Axel insisted.

"You take showers, don't you?" Roxas retorted. "That's water."

The redhead stared at him for a long moment, and then he nodded.

"Okay. I see your point," he conceded.

"Where would you go?" Roxas asked, turning the question back on Axel.

"I'd go to Twilight Town."

"That's not so far from here," Roxas said with a slight frown. "Why haven't you ever gone?"

Axel gave Roxas a pointed look. "It's in Hartz."

Oh. Right. Of course Axel couldn't just go down there whenever he wanted. Roxas felt a bit silly for forgetting.

"Well, then…we'll go some day," Roxas said with finality. "It really is a beautiful place. The sunsets are to die for."

"You think?" Axel questioned.

"Definitely," Roxas assured him. "What good is it being kings if we can't power-pull and take the day off every once in a while?"

Axel chuckled and nodded his agreement. The blood quickly drained out of his face and he fell completely silent as a voice came from outside the door.

"Hello, Larxene, was it? Have you seen my good-for-nothing son around here?"

Axel's eyes went wide and he dove at Roxas, pulling the blonde against his chest and then forcing them both into lying down. Catching on, Roxas buried his face in Axel's neck and pretended to be asleep. He didn't want to be roped into wedding planning any more then Axel did. The door opened a moment later and the two boys had, by then, managed to put on a pretty convincing scene.

Tifa sighed quietly and threw a blanket over the slumbering pair. They did look darn cute together, clinging and cuddling like newborn kittens. Tifa decided to let them have their alone time for the moment. She slipped quietly out of the room again, closing the door softly behind her.

"Yes!" Axel exclaimed. "It worked. Thanks a lot, Roxy!" The blonde didn't answer and he didn't move.

"Roxy?" Axel questioned. He prodded the boy's side, smiling when he realized the blonde had really fallen asleep. Pressing a kiss into his blonde hair, Axel hugged Roxas and drifted of into sleep himself.

---------------------------

A/N: I'm leaving my tiny, middle-of-nowhere New York town to head to Cedar Point in Ohio tomorrow. Why, you ask? I'll tell you. It's my 17th birthday on Sunday (may 24) and I want to go to the ROLLER COASTER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. So I am. Should be fun. I figured I'd post this before I left. Also-this is rather exciting-I got a 1110 on my SATs. Not so glorious, but a lot better then I thought I did. My reading score wasw good enough for my dream college and I only have to raise my math by twenty points. Life is good right now. REVIEW!


	12. Attempt Number Two

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 11

"Kill me," Axel hissed at Roxas, his face in a grimace of pain. "Please just kill me. It would be mercy." Roxas rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Stop being so melodramatic," he commanded. "You act like they're torturing you."

It had been decided that, due to the fact that both Roxas and Axel were already kings, they should be married as soon as was convenient. One should keep in mind, though, that neither Roxas nor Axel were making these decisions. Their mothers, when paired together, turned out to be quite a formidable pair. At the current time, both were too scared to say anything, so they just followed their mothers around as the women talked excitedly about this and that. The only interjection they'd ever gotten in was that they wanted it small.

Tifa and Aeris, on the other hand, had gone through and made all the decision and squabbled over what should be done. It was quite obvious that the two kingdoms had two different ways of going about getting hitched. They'd managed to settle on a way to combine the ceremonies and had even altered them both enough as to not offend the masculinity of their sons. With the date being only three days away, they were working to get everything done in time. Roxas had never really realized how much obnoxious planning went in to getting married. He'd just figured you said "I do" and there it was. Marriage. Apparently not. Apparently you had to buy a whole bunch of new stuff that you would never use again. These were things such as table linens and dishes. Roxas thought that was ridiculous. The castles in both Hartz and Ne'erwas had plenty of dishes already. Why would they need more? When Roxas had tried to bring this up, he'd received a look that clearly said he was stupid and shouldn't speak about things that he didn't understand.

Since then, Roxas had decided to sit back and pretend that he was paying attention. He figured the less he knew about it, the better things would be. Axel, on the other hand, kept trying to rein control of the two. He was stupid to even try. The three would spend a lot of time squabbling. More often then not, Tifa and Aeris would team up and Axel just couldn't win. This, of course, is what led to Axel's plea for mercy killing.

"They may as well be!" Axel exclaimed. "How can you just sit here and let them decide everything?"

Roxas shrugged. "I figure the less I know about it, the better off I'll be. Just don't ask questions and everything will be okay."

Axel picked up on this piece of advice and everything ran smoothly from there, though their mothers kept giving them suspicious looks as if the kings had something planned to ruin all their hard work. It was a few hours before they managed to slip away, unnoticed by their mothers.

Axel had gotten them out, quietly taking Roxas' hand as to not alert the crazy women dragging them around. The blonde looked up to see the redhead had opened up a passageway in the center of the wall. Clearly impressed, the blonde followed him behind the tapestry and down into the passage behind it. Axel pushed the wall closed again and hurried Roxas down the stairs.

"Go, Roxy, go! Before they notice we're gone!" Laughing maniacally, the two royals ran through the passage as if the devil was chasing them. They came to a stop as they reached a dead end, leaning against the walls and laughing while also trying to catch their breath. Roxas pressed a hand to his heart as he breathed deeply. The laughter died out of the small cavern, leaving everything quiet and extremely dark. Not liking that, Roxas summoned up a ball of light, illuminating the small space. He realized a bit too late that the dim light made every thing seem that much more intimate. He was about to brighten things up even more when he was pushed roughly against the wall. He hardly had time to let out a gasp before his mouth was devoured in a searing kiss.

Roxas' hormonal reactions kicked in and he responded to the kiss, hands moving to grip the sides of Axel's t-shirt. Clenching the fabric between his fingers, he moved his head slightly so the angle of their kiss changed. Axel stopped them before they could get too far and Roxas realized that he was disappointed. Admittedly he was attracted to the redhead, but he'd never thought that he would want to kiss him like that…or maybe even take a step further.

Axel rested his forehead against the stone to the right of Roxas' head, his mouth right next to the blonde's ear. "Damn, I love you, Roxas," he breathed quietly. Roxas tensed instantly and planted his hands firmly on the redhead's chest. He pushed him away, his eyebrows shooting up.

"What…did you just say?" he asked. Axel looked nervous and shook his head.

"You know what, never mind. I was just…caught in the moment, you know? Just forget it." Before Roxas could say another word, Axel was pushing open the passage's exit and escaping into the hallway. By the time Roxas freed himself, Axel was nowhere to be seen.

The redheaded king managed to elude him for the rest of the day, but he couldn't escape dinnertime. They'd taken a stroll through the bazaar the evening before and stopped at a Ne'erwasian food vendor. The man had offered them a morsel to try and Roxas had loved it. There was just something about the way the duck had been prepared that made him want more. When he'd expressed this to the chef, the man had practically oozed with happiness at a compliment from his almost king. Axel had invited him up to the castle to cook for the court the very next night and the man had been ecstatic to agree. It would have been in very bad taste to skip the meal.

They sat next to each other at the center of the table, eating with a fierce determination to avoid talking to each other. Roxas' mind was reeling with Axel's confession. How could he just out and say that? They'd hardly known each other for a month and Axel claimed that he loved Roxas? Then again, Roxas himself had asked the redhead to marry him on their second meeting.  
Tifa and Aeris were chatting animatedly on Roxas' right and Cloud and Reno were talking politics on Axel's left. Their parents seemed to get along well enough, even though Cloud and Reno were more of a grudging match then Tifa and Aeris. Royal guards were standing at each of the entrances. Security had picked up a lot ever since the attempt on Axel's life and no one was allowed near them without being stripped of their weapons. Not that they could take away someone's magic, which was easily the most dangerous bit about any person.

The chef came out of the kitchen beaming proudly, Marluxia, inexplicably, close behind him.

"How are you enjoying everything?" he asked. There was a flurry of compliments and one mention that he should work on the kitchen staff full time.

"It makes me so very happy that you are enjoying everything. I now present you to your dessert, though I must admit that I did not make it myself. One of my apprentices prepared it while I worked on the main course. Still, I think you will enjoy it."

With that, servers burst from the kitchen as if they were in a scripted musical and set the plates down before them. Roxas gasped and couldn't help but grin at Axel. Axel shot him back a smile with a twinkle in his eye. No doubt that he'd arranged it. Alternating on each plate was either cheesecake or lemon cake with lemon frosting. The two looked at each other's plates, holding their own favorites before they grinned and swapped.

Roxas took a healthy sized bite and almost melted in pleasure. It was, quite possibly, the best cake he'd ever tasted in his life. Maybe Axel really did love him, to arrange something like this. He turned to look at Axel and thank him, and that was when he noticed something was wrong. Axel's face was deathly pale and gaunt looking. He flicked his eyes over to look at Roxas, the green clearly panicked.

"Axel?" Roxas said urgently. "Ax, what is it? What's wrong?" That was when the redhead collapsed. Roxas was out of his chair in an instant, kneeling at the redhead's side. It wasn't long before everyone else was crowding as well.

"What the hell happened?" Marluxia demanded.

"I'm not sure," Roxas admitted. "One minute he was fine and the next he was like this…"

Marluxia studied him for a moment before he went pale as well.

"Poison!" Aeris and Marluxia spoke at the same moment.

"Dammit!" Roxas swore. "Someone go grab the pastry chef and make sure he doesn't get away! Marluxia, mom, do either of you have anything that can fix him?"

Marluxia shook his head quickly looking panicked. "I couldn't say unless I knew what it was and I can't tell just by looking at him…"

"I have some things that work on most poisons, but I don't have any with me. They're all back in Hartz…" Aeris spoke up.

"Riku!" Roxas snapped, looking at the silver-haired guard. "Take my mother and get it! Now!"

Whatever poison it was, it was acting very fast. Axel hardly looked like he was there at all. The lights were on, but no one was home. Roxas cradled his head in his lap, his fingers stroking the crimson locks nervously.

Riku nodded obediently and opened a dark portal, letting Aeris in before entering himself. It swallowed them up and then closed. Kairi and Sora were standing rather close together, Sora hugging the crying girl to his side.

"Can't you do anything to help?" Marluxia demanded. Roxas shook his head quickly.

"I don't really know anything about poisons. Sword wounds, splintered bones, anything you could find on a war torn soldier, sure. Poison is way beyond me." He chewed his lip nervously before leaning down and speaking into Axel's ear.

"Please, just hold on a bit," he murmured. "My mom's gonna help you…just…don't let go or anything, okay? Please, Ax. I don't know what I'd do if you died. You can't keep putting me through this." Axel let out a strangled laugh and reached up, taking one of Roxas' hands and clutching it tightly.

"…hurts," he murmured.

"I'm sorry," Roxas whispered back. "I'm so sorry, but it'll be okay. Just…don't give up, okay?"

Axel didn't respond, having lost consciousness. Roxas cussed and wondered to himself if Axel was constantly getting himself almost killed. If so, he might have to rethink the whole marriage thing. Having an almost heart attack four times a week couldn't be good for his health.

It was with a jolt that he remembered switching plates with Axel. Whoever had poisoned the cake had been trying to kill Roxas, not Axel. It was just bad luck that the two had ended up trading plates. He felt extremely guilty, knowing that the poison meant for him was possibly killing another. The dark portal snapped open again and Aeris ran through, a small vial filled with orange liquid in her hand.

"Move aside," she ordered, "get out of the way." They obediently cleared out of the way and she knelt next to the pair, uncorking the bottle.

"Roxas, tilt his head back," she instructed. Roxas did as he was told and she tipped the contents down his throat. It was a long moment of tortured silence before Axel began coughing violently, the color returning to his face. He sat up, hacking up his left lung and breathing deeply at the same time. A flurry of questions came his way, all along the lines of, "are you all right?" Axel nodded and waved them away, finally stopping his cough and sucking in a few breaths.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said tiredly.

Roxas let out a sigh of relief and, spurred by emotion, seized the redhead's face and planted and firm kiss on his lips.

"You can't keep doing this to me!" He exclaimed. "Oh my god, if I have to watch you almost die again, I might just lose my mind. Please, Ax, please. Be more careful!" He kissed him again, pulling away only when someone cleared their throat uncomfortably. Roxas blushed slightly but refused to look away from those green eyes.

"Please, Ax. Promise me." Green eyes blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

"I promise Roxas."

---------------------------

A/N: Because cahpter 10 was complete and total filler....I give you this.


	13. Don't Get My Hopes Up

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 12

Roxas woke to someone prodding his forehead. He brushed the annoyance away wearily before remembering what it meant. He sat up quickly, suddenly very awake, studying the redhead sitting up beside him.

"How are you feeling?" he demanded instantly.

"A little tired," Axel admitted. "But I'm not dead, so no complaints."

Roxas rolled his eyes, pushing the redheaded king's shoulder and giving him a pointed look.

"Keep going the way you are and you will be dead. We can't keep saving your ass all the time you know. One of these days, we'll act too late."

Axel snorted. "You act like I asked to be poisoned. Damn, the only one of these that was really my fault was the horse incident. And, might I point out, the only reason you weren't thrown from your horse was because Luz was smarter then Flurry." Roxas had to nod in agreement.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I think you just have really bad luck. Really, think about it. That poison was meant for me, wasn't it? Somehow, due to bad luck, you got it instead."

Axel laughed brightly and nodded vigorously. "Like I said before Roxy, there's just something about you that makes fate want me dead."

"Maybe I should go then," Roxas said with a teasing smile. Axel grimaced and grabbed each of Roxas' arms as if to physically stop the blonde from leaving.

"I wasn't actually gonna leave, you know," Roxas spoke up, raising an eyebrow. Axel looked slightly sheepish, releasing his hold on Roxas' arms.

"You know…I think we need to talk," Roxas said. "About what happened in the passage yesterday."

Axel's skin went paler then usual and he looked away.

"I told you to just forget about it, okay? I didn't mean it," Axel muttered. Roxas was a bit surprised at the overwhelming feeling of disappointment.

"You didn't mean it?" he asked. "So you're telling me that you said that you loved me out of boredom?"

"Uh…well…"

"Because that's not a very nice trick to play on someone…"

"No, it wasn't a trick…"

"Then what was it?" Roxas demanded.

Axel stared at him, looking quite backed into a corner.

"Roxas, I…"

"You said it because you meant it, didn't you?"

"I…well…"

"Axel! Just tell me the truth."

The redhead threw his hands into the air, looking exasperated.

"Yes!" he yelled. "Yes, I meant it. I'm in love with you, all right? Are you happy now that you've managed to make me look like a total fool?"

"Yes," Roxas exclaimed. "Yes I am. It's wonderful that you can tell me the truth about how you feel! Don't you just feel freer?" He said sarcastically.

"No, I feel like an ass. You're such a bastard," Axel retorted. "Why do you insist on making fun of me when I've just bared my soul to you? Laid my heart out on the metaphorical table…"

"I'm flattered, Axel, really. Just…"

"You don't love me," Axel said simply. "I know, I figured. Why did you have to harass it out of me, then, huh?"

"I just wanted to be sure. It's not every day that I have someone tell me that they're in love with me. I didn't want the first time to be a mean joke."

Axel rolled his eyes, leaned in, and kissed Roxas firmly on the mouth. It was a quick, chaste kiss. Roxas didn't even have enough time to either respond or form a coherent thought before he pulled away.

"Well, yeah. I love you. No joke."

Roxas smiled. "Thanks for that," he said. "Maybe one day I'll feel the same."

Axel rolled his eyes. "That's exactly what I like to hear. Maybe, one day you might fall in love with me! Now I have something to live for!"

"Sarcasm doesn't become you," Roxas grumbled. "Anyway, I don't think the day will be too far off. I've definitely become more attached to you since we met and I could very well be falling for you."

"Don't," Axel snapped, suddenly angry. "Don't try to make me feel better, okay? Just give it a rest. Don't get my hopes up for no reason, all right?"

"Ax, I'm not…"

"Just don't!" He snapped before pushing the blankets off his legs and storming out of the room. Roxas sat there, watching him leave, a bit dumbfounded. He really hadn't meant to upset Axel. That seemed to be the only thing he was capable of doing lately. Roxas sighed and got out of bed himself. He decided to give Axel a couple minutes to himself before he went off to find him. He took a quick shower and dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a red t-shirt, adding a black and white checkered hoodie for warmth. It had been raining endlessly, making the castle quite cold. Figuring that Axel had had enough time to stew, he went off in search of his fiancé. Larxene fell into step a few paces behind him as soon as he was in the hall.

"Did you see where Axel went?" he asked her.

"This same way," she said with a shrug. "I don't know after that." At least he was heading in the right direction.

Axel let out a gasping breath, followed quickly by a snarl. He ducked down and a blade swept just over his head, hardly missing by a fraction of an inch. He swung his own weapon decisively, narrowly missing his opponent. Thick, heavy vines ripped up from the ground, latching themselves effectively around his arms and legs, immobilizing the redhead. He tugged at his bonds, but they were too thick for him to break. Being a bit reckless, he summoned up flames and attacked the plants with them. The greenery burned quickly and wilted away, leaving Axel free to wrench his limbs from their grasp. Filled with a new vigor, he threw himself forward, launching one of his chakrams at his adversary, keeping the other in case he needed to defend against the blade. The chakram effectively pinned his opponent to the wall. Straightening up and laughing around his tired gasps, Axel grinned.

"Ha! I win!" he exclaimed. Marluxia rolled his eyes good-naturedly and gripped the chakram, jerking it from both the wall and his clothing.

"Worked out your aggression, or do we need to go again?" he asked dryly.

"Let's take a minute to breathe and then we can go again," Axel said, lifting his thick hair off his neck to help cool himself down a bit.

Marly nodded, plopping down on the cushy blue training mat. Axel followed a moment later, leaning back on his hands, chakrams resting against both his legs. Axel snatched a water bottle that had been abandoned a few feet away and took a long drink. He tossed it to his guard and then reached for a cigarette. He hadn't had one yet that day. He would regret it later if he didn't have one then. Marly cast him a dark glance, hating that Axel smoked. He didn't know any better, so he instantly assumed that his king was bringing a premature death on himself.

"Axel…I think you're making a mistake." Axel took a drag on his cigarette and raised his eyebrow at his companion.

"What do you mean?"

"Roxas," he said simply. "I just don't trust him." Axel rolled his eyes. "No really, please just hear me out!"

Axel sighed. "Marly, I've made my decision. I'm going through with this, and nothing you can say will sway me."

"Have you even really checked him out?" Marluxia demanded. "I've been studying their politics and the way their system works. Did you know that you won't have half the power that he does in his kingdom?"

Axel nodded. "Yes. I do know that. Roxas and I will figure it out when the time comes," he said sternly.

"But he'll have full power in our kingdom! What if he's just using you so he can take over Ne'erwas and get you out of the way? You've never had this many attempts on your life in the entire time I've known you, and when he comes along, you suddenly have three in less then two weeks?"

"It's a coincidence, Marly," Axel said sternly. "Roxas has been with me the whole time since we've been here, basically. He hasn't had the chance to preset elaborate plans to kill me."

"The first time was the snake. Why did his horse stop and yours didn't? Because he knew! And then that one girl, she was from Hartz! She was his subject and she tried to kill you. As for the poison, I saw you two switch plates. He could have had the time to spike it with poison…"

"Marluxia!" Axel interrupted his babbling friend loudly. "Roxas is not trying to kill me. Need I remind you that he saved my life? Roxas is doing the same thing that I am. I trust him with my life, I trust him with my kingdom. I trust him."

Marluxia stared at Axel for a long while, his eyes going wide.

"You're in love with him," he said dully. "You've fallen in love with him!" Axel looked away, but nodded in the slightest. Marluxia rolled his eyes in disgust.

"This is just perfect. You're letting feelings impair your judgment. Dammit, Axel, if he does something sly are you going to stop it, or are you going to let it slide because of your _feelings_?"

Axel's head snapped up, his eyes blazing angrily. "Don't you accuse me of that. I will do whatever it takes to protect my land and my people. Don't you go implying that I won't. I have killed to keep this kingdom safe and I would do it again. So don't you judge the way I lead!"

Marluxia growled angrily at him before getting to his feet and leaving in a huff of angry breath. Feeling suddenly exhausted, Axel collapsed onto his back and raised his cigarette to his lips once more. Nothing seemed to be going his way lately. He knew it was stupid to fall in love with Roxas when they were marrying for politics, but he couldn't help it. He'd considered that he might only think he was in love because he wanted to be, but had dismissed it very quickly. There was no doubt that it was true blue love. He'd do anything for Roxas, even if it cost him his own life. If that wasn't love, he didn't know what was.

--------------

A/N: Ah, I'm so sorry. I know I'm being a terrible updater right now. Hopefully things will get better in the next few weeks (I know I've been saying that a lot...) But really. I've got six days left in my Junior year and one day of exams and then after that it's summer time. I think I'll only be working two days a week by that point. My brother is getting married on the twentieth and I'm out of town on the thirteenth, but...after that, things should slow down. I should basically have all the time in the world to write and update.

Now that I've given you my excuse-ridden life story, would you review, pretty please?


	14. Fire vs Light

I just got home from my brother's wedding reception, and I'll tell you, he was totally smashed the whole time. He sang a falseto version of Madonna's "Like A Virgin" and it was rather entertaining. On the other hand, I wore a pair of bright red four-inch stiletto heel shoes (that are totally adorable btw) for about twelve hours straight and I'm pretty sure I'll never feel my feet again. Still, they're so cute it was worth it. Anywho, now that I'm officially done with my junior year of high school (WHICH MEANS I'M A SENIOR NOW!!!!!), my brother's wedding is out of the way, and my summer schedule at work is kicking in within the next few weeks, my updating habits _should _be better. Hopefully. So here's chapter thirteen!

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 13

While on his search for Axel, Roxas had been intercepted by Aeris and Tifa. Apparently the women had realized that it had been a long time since Roxas and Axel had left Ne'erwas. The subjects back in Hartz were beginning to openly worry about not seeing their king in a long while.

"So…" Roxas said slowly, "We're going back to Hartz soon?" Aeris nodded with a firm smile.

"We've decided that we'll post-pone the wedding a few days because we just found the perfect location for it to be held!" Aeris explained.

"That will give you boys a few days to spend in Hartz schmoozing with the public enough to prove that you haven't killed each other," Tifa added.

"We'll be setting out tonight," Aeris finished.

Roxas paused, fidgeting slightly. "Will Axel be okay to travel?" he asked. "I mean, he was just poisoned…"

Aeris nodded quickly, her eyes serious. "Yes, of course. We'd never endanger him that way, Roxas. Please have more faith in your mother then that. Anyway, if something does happen, Axel will have you, me, and his guard for healing remedies."

Tifa nodded, picking up on the thought. "With all the bad luck that son of mine's been having lately, we've decided we can't be too careful. All the guard is now carrying remedies for poisons, not to mention charms filled with healing arts. Security is so tight, germs will have a hard time getting through."

Roxas nodded, not feeling very reassured by these answers. He knew the Royal Guard was doing everything they could to keep them all safe, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was enough.

"Do you know where Axel is?" Roxas asked. "I can't seem to find him."

"Have you checked the Bazaar?" Tifa asked. Roxas nodded. He'd checked every place he could think of for the redhead, and yet he'd had no luck. The only other thing he could think of was that Axel might have left the Royal City, but that would just be stupid on his part. Axel could be foolish at times, but Roxas didn't think he was stupid. He told Tifa this and she nodded, looking slightly concerned.

"Tell me, did you two have a fight?" she asked. Roxas bit his lip and shrugged.

"I wouldn't call it a fight so much as a disagreement," the young king protested.

"He'll be in the training room," Tifa said with surety. "That's where he always goes to blow off some steam."

"Where can I find it?" Roxas demanded impatiently.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Tifa asked. "If he's still upset he might challenge you…"

"I can handle him," Roxas assured her with a slight scowl. "Tell me the way."

She smiled a small smile as if she knew a secret before starting to explain how to get there. Repeating the directions in his head so as not to forget, Roxas set off in search of his fiancé. Larxene was protesting the whole way.

"Your majesty, if he tries to hurt you, I can't just stand by and let him," she scowled.

"That is exactly what you are going to do," Roxas said. "He won't lose his head enough to kill me and I can defend myself well enough against him until he calms down. No one will be hurt."

"You're making it extremely hard to do my job, sire."

"I know. I'm sorry, but you will not interfere. Is that understood?"

There was a long pause and a dejected sigh. "Yes, your majesty."

Roxas turned into the right room, stopping short as an arc of fire whipped out just in front of his nose. He could feel the burning of the flame inches from his face and his heart started racing with adrenaline. Larxene snarled low in her throat.

Scorch marks covered every surface of the room, along with sharp indents from a weapon. Even as Roxas watched, some of the ruin seemed to melt away, leaving the wall looking perfect and unblemished. He idly wondered what kind of magic was doing it before turning his full attention on the angry redhead in front of him.

"What?" Axel snapped, sounding a bit like a moody preteen, "Can't I get a damn moment to myself?"

Roxas cocked an eyebrow, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Fine, then," he said with a shrug. "When you're ready to act like an adult again, give me a call." He turned to leave, but a sharp, wheel-like weapon whipped out and hit the door, slamming it shut with a bang, locking it firmly in place. Roxas could hear Larxene pounding on the other side of the door where she had been shut out. He didn't have much time to worry about that, though.

Axel was striding toward him, his walk more like a glide. Roxas was reminded of a jungle cat stalking its prey. He backed up out of reflex until his back was firmly placed against the door, the spiky red wheel inches from his arm. Axel didn't stop moving forward until he was directly in front of Roxas; so close their chests would touch if the blonde cared to take even a fraction of a step forward.

Usually a position like this would be frightening and send off danger alarms in Roxas' head. But not with Axel. The adrenaline pumping through his body was easily kin to excitement rather then fear. Every fiber of his being reacted to the fiery redhead in ways that Roxas would never admit out loud. It was the type of feeling that made him want Axel to push him against the wall and take him for his own.

He quickly squashed these thoughts down, noticing that Axel really didn't have the disposition for such acts. Not right that moment, at least. It would be a bad idea for him to let his hormones get in the way.

Axel brought the weapon's twin up, placing one of the lethal spikes at the junction between Roxas' neck and his collarbone, touching enough so that they younger could feel the sharp point, but lightly enough as to where it wouldn't pierce his flesh.

"Why do you follow me?" Axel demanded, his voice lower and more threatening then Roxas had ever heard it. Roxas swallowed with a bit of difficulty before answering.

"Because you keep running."

Axel snarled law in his throat, glaring at Roxas.

"This isn't a joke," he snapped. "You can't fuck around with me like this."

"I'm not fucking around with you!" Roxas cried. "Is it that hard to believe that maybe I'm attracted to you?" Without warning, Axel closed the space between their bodies, pushing their chests flush together and grinding his hips into the blonde's. Roxas let out a strangled gasp as Axel moved his face so that his lips barely brushed Roxas' ear as he spoke.

"I'm not worried abut attraction," he said, tongue flicking out to caress the shell of Roxas' ear. Roxas clenched his fists, unable to stop a small moan from tearing from his throat. "I can tell you want me." He grinded his hips again as if to prove his point.

As suddenly as he had come, Axel was gone again, a few paces away, looking pissed. "But I'm not interested merely in lust," he snapped. He swung the weapon out again, releasing it at Roxas. The blonde ducked out of the way, cussing as he went. The weapon whipped around like a boomerang, sailing back to its master.

Roxas summoned his own swords, Oathkeeper and Oblivion, and rushed the redhead, snarling angrily as he went. The redhead threw his weapon again, this time covered in flames. Roxas threw up his swords, catching the wheel and launching it back at Axel. He summoned up some light and filled the room, basically blinding Axel. He took the opportunity to knock the weapon from his hand and trip him up. As soon as the redhead hit the floor, Roxas plopped down on his chest, holding him in place, and sticking the point of Oblivion's blade against his throat.

"Are you quite done?" Roxas growled. Axel, apparently, wasn't done. He swiped a hand up, scratching at Roxas' face. The blonde recoiled, but not enough to where Axel could free himself. He stuck his swords in the ground in annoyance and grabbed Axel's wrists, holding those to the ground as well.

"Will you step it? For God's sake, are you always this childish?"

In that moment, Axel seemed to deflate. He gave up struggling and a whoosh of air rushed from his body. He relaxed under Roxas' hold and leaned his head back against the ground, staring at the ceiling. Not quite trusting it, Roxas stayed where he was.

"Are you done?" he asked again. Axel nodded wearily. Roxas still didn't let him up. The redhead looked up at him, seeming extremely tired. A small smile spread over his lips.

"If you weren't so pissed at me, this would be kinda kinky."

"Shut the hell up," Roxas snapped. Axel obeyed easily. "Do you care to explain to me what the hell that just was?"

Axel shrugged, quite the feat in his current position.

"I wanted to work off some steam and you were there. You kill me Rox, you really do. You're attracted to my body, but not in any way other then physical and it's frustrating as hell."

"Do you really care that much?" Roxas asked. Axel looked away, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I do. I did…I did some stupid shit when I was younger and I regret a lot of it. I promised myself I would never have a relationship like that again and you're making it really difficult for me to uphold that promise."

"I'm not doing it on purpose," Roxas said.

"That's exactly it, though!" Axel exclaimed. "You're so damn seductive to me in the little things you do and you're not even trying! I just…god, I want you so bad it hurts sometimes. I'm trying to behave myself but when you start talking about maybe loving me…I can barely contain myself."

"I don't get what you're talking about," Roxas admitted, a blush coloring his cheeks.

"Like right now, for instance," Axel sighed. "I just want to flip you over and fuck you into the floor." Roxas immediately released the redhead, tripping in his attempts to get off and landing hard on his ass. Roxas had to admit, the idea didn't sound so bad, but did he have to be so…blunt about it?

"So…you're basically saying you won't have sex with me unless we're both in love with each other?" Axel, looking much like he wanted to hit himself for it, nodded.

"Oh." Roxas wasn't really sure how to further the conversation. He didn't love Axel. He was extremely attracted to him, but he didn't love him. He realized that he wouldn't mind having sex with Axel. In fact, he'd probably enjoy it quite a lot. But the thought of loving the redhead was so foreign he almost cringed.

"So, basically, we're looking at many years of sexual frustration," Axel intoned, trying to joke. Roxas cracked a smile, but couldn't force himself to laugh. As Larxene finally managed to bust the door open, only one thought could cross Roxas' mind.

What the hell were they getting themselves into?


	15. Therapy, Riku style

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 14

"Hey Roxas, pay attention! You're going to get left behind." The blonde snapped to attention, blinking for a long moment before spurring his horse faster.

Their traveling party was quite large. The Royal Guards from both kingdoms were there, considering both Royal Families were traveling at once. Riku had spent a lot of time grumbling under his breath about how unsafe it was, but he['d basically been ignored. Roxas did feel a bit bad for the guard as of late. They weren't really being allowed to do their jobs, which must have been extremely frustrating.

Axel was pleased with the weather. Where their ride to Ne'erwas had been miserably cold and rainy, the ride back to Hartz was hot and dry. The sun beat down in them so hard Roxas through it could have been mistaken for a desert. While Reno and Axel were enjoying the heat, everyone else was sweltering hot. The person suffering the most, however, was Demyx. The poor guard was a water user and he kept complaining about the lack of moisture in the air.

Marluxia, much to everyone's surprise, had resigned from his position as Axel's personal guard. While he was still the head of the guard, he had reassigned Demyx to his former job. Demyx had been ecstatic for such an honor, but Roxas couldn't figure out why Marluxia would do such a thing. Demyx was an adequate enough fighter, but he wasn't the best. Marluxia seemed like the type who would be sure that his king had the best of the best. Roxas noted, with a bit of cynicism, that he didn't have the best either. Riku was easily the best, but he guarded Sora. Roxas understood that relationship and he wasn't really offended. Larxene had been his guard for years and, paired with Demyx, the two really were a formidable team. Lighting and water tended to fry enemies pretty well.

Axel and Roxas hadn't spoken since their conversation in the training room hours before. They weren't really avoiding each other, per se, but things had gotten very awkward very fast. They were civil to each other, but they didn't go out of their way to converse. If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything.

A huge problem had been brought front and center. It was a problem Roxas hadn't given much thought to. He'd never actually expected that he would be attracted to Axel. He really hadn't expected that he would feel anything more then maybe a friendship for the redhead. He'd never considered the thought that he might like to have a more…intimate relationship with Axel. Now that he really cared about him, things were a lot harder. They were basically damning themselves for the rest of their lives.

Roxas had half the mind to call the whole thing off. It wouldn't be fair to either of them, really. Still, something stopped him. He wasn't sure whether it was the simple desire to just have Axel around or whether he was concerned for his kingdom. Either way, he couldn't call it off. Whether it was for a selfish or selfless reason, he knew that he would marry Axel in a few days time. He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that, but he knew what he had to do.

"Roxas? Rox, are you okay? Roxas…Roooooooxaaaaas! Your majesty? Um…reverting to the past here…your highness? Roxas!" The blonde jumped a mile as a bright flare went off in front of his face. He barely managed to hold on as Luz reared up in shock. The entire party came to a stop, the guards tensing up and looking around for anyone who might be a threat. Riku had reacted so fast, the entire group was enveloped under a large shield before they even knew it. Roxas was impressed by the large amount of magic he had to have used to make such a force field. He didn't even appear to have broken a sweat.

"Sorry," Sora said, wincing slightly. "That…uh…that was me." Riku sighed and dropped the shield and the rest of the guard relaxed visibly.

"What the hell?" Roxas asked, trying not to show how really scared he'd actually been. His heart was racing wildly.

"I was trying to get your attention and you wouldn't answer to anything. I couldn't think of anything else, so I used magic. That, apparently, wasn't a good idea."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "You think? Listen, Sora, they're all way uptight right now. Axel and I have each had an attempt on our lives this week, not to mention the trouble with the snake and his coronation. We'll be lucky if they ever calm down now."

Sora grimaced apologetically. "You sound really stressed out."

Roxas shrugged, tightening his grip on Luce's reins. "I guess."

"Wanna talk about it?" Sora asked.

"Not in the center of a whole bunch of people," Roxas said pointedly.

Sora frowned and nodded, looking around curiously for a moment. A smile lit up his face and he grinned at Roxas.

"Riku, we're going to ride a bit ahead," Sora informed his boyfriend-slash-guard. Riku looked ready to protest but Sora cut him off.

"I'm not saying we're going alone. I know you're way too paranoid for that. You can come, but just you, all right? I want to talk to my brother, as alone as we can get." Riku still didn't look very reassured.

"Sora, do you really understand how tight security is right now?" he asked. Sora narrowed his eyes and pouted slightly. "I'm not stupid, Riku. I don't want Roxas to get hurt any more then you do. But really, we're on flat land here with good weather. You'll see anything that's coming for miles around." Riku still looked uncertain. Sora let out an exasperated sigh and turned to Roxas for help.

"Will you power pull him or something? He can't refuse you. In fact, he shouldn't be refusing me, but I'll handle that later…"

"Riku, Sora and I are going to ride ahead. You may accompany us, but no one else will," Roxas said, putting on his king voice. Riku let out a sigh that clearly said how much he didn't like the idea, but nodded nonetheless.

"Very well, your majesty. Give me a moment to change orders." Riku spurred his horse to catch up with Marluxia so they could talk quickly. After a minute or so, they began calling out orders to the others and the set up changed. Finally, Riku nodded back at the brothers.

The two spurred their horses into a run, Riku following closely behind them. When they were far enough away where Roxas felt they could talk comfortably and Riku wouldn't allow them to go any farther, they slowed back to a trot.

"So, what's going on in that head of yours?" Sora asked. "Sometimes I think we're getting so far apart I don't even feel like your twin anymore."

"We'll always be twins, Sora," Roxas retorted. "Nothing can ruin that bond." Sora smiled peacefully, as if the response mollified him.

They were quiet for a few minutes as Roxas tried to gather his thoughts. Eventually, he just reiterated his entire conversation with Axel in the training room. Sora didn't seem the least bit embarrassed about the whole thing, he just continued to smile.

"So…" he said slowly when Roxas was done. "Do you want to have sex with Axel?"

"That's just it," Roxas sighed. "I really don't know. I mean, the thought isn't a bad one. I definitely would in the heat of the moment, but I don't know if I want that kind of intimate relationship. I mean, I've only known the guy for a few weeks."

"You're getting married in a few days," Sora snorted.

"Well, yeah," Roxas admitted, "but you know that's completely different then what I'm talking about." Sora nodded, sighing quietly.

"Yeah, I know. The world of politics can really screw with your love life." He shot a sideways glance at Riku, who was pretending he didn't hear a word of their conversation.

"I just…I wonder if he really loves me like he says he does. I've already mentioned that we met a few weeks ago. For our entire lives we were pitted against each other. I don't know about Axel, but I feared him. I saw him as someone who would sweep in and destroy everything I loved at the drop of a hat. How am I supposed to turn around and be in love with my life long fear?"

Sora leaned his head back, looking up at the bright blue sky. He lifted his shoulders in a little shrug.

"You know, Rox, I don't think Axel expects you to. Admittedly, I know him even less then you do, but I don't think you loving him is really what he's after at this point. I think that, maybe, he was just letting you know that he isn't going to be a, excuse me, slut."

"I never said he was a slut!" Roxas protested.

"Maybe not directly," Sora shot back. "Maybe you didn't even mean it that way, but that's how he saw it. He was just telling you that he won't sleep with you just because you're both horny, hormonal teenagers."

Roxas opened his mouth to argue when Riku snorted with laughter. The brothers cast identical scandalized looks at him. The silver-haired male straightened up and had the grace to look embarrassed.

"Excuse me," he said by way of apology. Sora rolled his eyes and looked back at Roxas, but an affectionate smile graced his features.

"Alls I'm saying is that somewhere along the way, you might have insinuated something that made Axel think he had to defend himself. He isn't trying to force you to love him, just giving you a warning. If you, one day, realize that you're in love with him, that's great and you two can discuss your relationship from there. For now, though, I think the best you can do is try not to be insensitive. towards Axel's feelings. Because-no offense, Roxas-but you can get really insensitive without realizing you're doing it."

Roxas wouldn't doubt it. He knew that he could be a bit brusque sometimes. If it worked in his favor, though, all the better. Roxas let out a loud sigh and momentarily leaned his face into Luz's neck.

"I don't get it, Sora. I just don't understand the love thing. Why is it so hard?"

Sora shrugged. "At the risk of sounding cliché, the things worth having are worth fighting for.

"But you and Riku make it look so easy!" Roxas protested. After a long moment of tense silence, Sora sighed and looked at Riku.

"I know you're just bursting to say something," he said. "Since we are talking about you now, I guess you might as well stop playing guard and start playing therapist." Riku needed no further invitation. He brought his horde closer to Roxas' and stared at his king for a long moment.

"As I'm not 'playing guard' at the moment, I have no qualms about doing this, Roxas. However, as your subject, I must plead for your mercy at a later date." He then raised a hand and smacked Roxas smartly across the back of the head. Sora burst into laughter and Roxas was far too shocked to even begin to form a response.

"Of course what Sora and I have was not easy. We had to fight family lines and so much more in order to have what we do. Even now it is difficult, as my loyalties are crossed. Of course my first instinct in a siege would be to protect Sora. Then again, I swore that my life must always come before yours. Not his. Yours. I fight with my duty and my love life on a daily basis. This is only one of the trials that we face."

Sora intervened, seeing Roxas' slightly confused look.

"What Riku means," Sora said, is that what we have didn't come easy. It still isn't. We face trials all the time, but we do it together and that makes everything worth it. Do you get it?"

Roxas nodded slowly. "I think so," he said uncertainly. "I think you guys might be missing the point, though."

Riku let out a strange laugh and shook his head. "Answer me this, Roxas. Do you care about Axel's well being?"

"Yeah, of course I do," the blonde answered without hesitation.

"Do you want what is best for him, no matter what that might mean for anyone else, including yourself?" Roxas hardly had to think before answering, his voice strong and certain.

"Yes."

"Well, then," Riku said. "I think it is you that is missing something."

-------------

A/N: Wow, Riku. How cryptic can ya be?

Anyway, guys, this story is taking a turn I really wasn't expecting. These conversations they're having about sex lives…that's a little more mature then I originally expected. Eh, but it works, so why not? Give me some feedback with a review!


	16. Chat with Kairi

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 15

When the party reached Hartz, they spent the rest of the evening resting from the ride. Roxas figured he would drag Axel out to the marketplace the next day so they could mingle amongst the subjects. Hopefully things wouldn't be so awkward then. The blonde king had been trying to figure out what Riku had meant when he said that Roxas was missing something. The silver-haired guard had refused to elaborate, telling Roxas that he would be better off it he figured it out by himself.

Spirits were very high in the castle due to the return of the royal family. According to some of the guard, things had been very tense over the last few days because of their absence. Roxas had been a bit surprised by the warm welcome he'd received when he first entered the city's gates. He knew his subjects didn't exactly hate him, but he was fairly sure they would have preferred that Sora be their king rather then him.

The evening spent in his room had been extremely relaxing. Roxas felt revitalized and ready to face the next day by the time eight o' clock rolled around. He'd even gone as far as to take dinner alone, determined to have his own time without trying to be diplomatic. He had just been preparing to sink into a book when a soft knock sounded at the door. He deliberated for a moment pretending that he hadn't heard it, but quickly brushed the thought aside. It might be something important that needed his attention. He set his book on the bed and crossed the room, pulling open the door. A young girl with wine-colored hair stood there, looking up at him with scrutinizing blue eyes. It took him a long moment to recognize her as Axel's younger sister.

"Oh, hello…"

"Kairi," she said surely. "You can call me Kairi, majesty."

"Well, then, call me Roxas. Is there something I can do for you, Kairi?"

"May I come in?" she asked. He nodded, stepping aside to allow her into the room. Kairi made herself comfortable on the window seat in the corner, crossing her legs and staring at him unflinchingly. Feeling more then a little but unnerved, Roxas sat in the plushy armchair and stared back at her.

"Is there any particular reason that you've sought me out, Kairi?" he asked.

"You're marrying my brother in a few days," she said pointedly.

He nodded, not really sure where the conversation was heading.

"That means you're going to be my brother as well." Again, he nodded.

"I've already met and spoken with Sora," she said. "I like him, he's very nice. But I haven't' talked to you yet. I thought that was a little sad, considering that we'll be family in a few days. I just wanted a chance to see what you're like when no one else is around." Roxas raised an eyebrow, not quite sure how he was supposed to respond to the girl.

"Oh…well, I have to admit I'm not particularly interesting," he said with a shrug.

"What were you doing when I knocked?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I was getting ready to read a book." She looked interested, cocking her head to the side in the same exact way that Axel did when he was curious. "You look just like your brother when you do that," Roxas pointed out. She smiled at this.

"What are you reading?" she asked.

"It's actually one of my ancestor's diaries," he said honestly. "I found it in the library and it was dated back to the approximate beginning of the FireLight war. I was curious as to whether I could find out why the whole thing started in the first place."

Kairi wrinkled her brow, head cocking again. "But what does it matter now?" she asked.

Roxas shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't. It's all for curiosity's sake."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Kairi grinned cheekily.

"Oh, but my dear, satisfaction brought it back," Roxas shot back, equally as defiant. Kairi giggled and shook her head.

"You're different from Sora," she observed. "He's funny in a silly sort of way and you're more in a dry sort of way. I like you, though." Feeling inexplicably as if he'd passed some sort of test, Roxas grinned.

"Why thank you."

The two chatted about random things for a good half hour before there was a loud banging on the door. Roxas was on his feet in a moment, shielding Kairi from view and drawing up some magic. The door burst open and Axel skidded in, looking panicked.

"Roxas, we can't find Kairi!" he cried. "We've looked everywhere and…" he trailed off as Roxas dropped his defenses and stepped out of the way, revealing Kairi to her apparently very protective older brother. Axel's breath came out in a whoosh and he was across the room in three strides, lifting Kairi into a bone-crushing hug.

"Gods, Kairi!" he exclaimed. "Don't do that to me! I thought…" he trailed off.

"Axel, let go of me!" she whined. "I'm perfectly fine, I've been with Roxas!"

"Why would you just sneak off without Yuffie?" Axel demanded. "She's frantic, you know. You had us all really worried."

"I wanted to talk to Roxas alone," Kairi pouted. "I wanted a chance to meet him before he became my brother." Axel turned on Roxas, his eyes narrowed in a way that Roxas had come to dread.

"Why the hell wouldn't you alert anyone that she wsa here?" he demanded.

"I didn't know she'd snuck off!" Roxas said defensively. "I can't read minds, you know!"

"No!" Kairi cried, coming to stand between the two kings. "Don't argue with each other! This is my fault, not Roxas'." Axel seemed to deflate with these words and he nodded wearily.

"Right. Of course you're right. Sorry, Roxy." Roxas nodded to show that he accepted the apology. "Come on, Kairi," Axel sighed. "Let's go show everyone that you haven't been abducted and murdered." She hopped up on his back and he carried her out of the room piggyback style, snapping the door shut behind him. Roxas sighed heavily and crawled up into bed, pulling the blankets over his legs and cracking open his book.

The diary was actually pretty boring. The writer was a man who only ever referred to himself as DiZ. He was Roxas' a zillion-times great grandfather. He had been the king who declared war on Ne'erwas. Basically all he ever wrote about was things he'd done during the day and how wonderful he was. One thing worth noting, though, was his seeming obsession with his sister. Her name was Belle and he cherished her above all else. Roxas discovered that she was to marry a Ne'erwasian man, whom DiZ referred to only as 'Beast'.

Sifting through pages and pages of endless blather was really beginning to get on Roxas' nerves. He was ready to give up after a few hours, but his curiosity just wouldn't let him. It was almost two in the morning before he finally found what he was looking for. It was the very last entry of the diary.

_I am in such a rage I can hardly write. My hand shakes as I record what I know to be true but can only wish is a horrid nightmare. My precious Belle is dead. It is so unjust that the sky is a brilliant shade of blue. The world should be sobbing with the loss of such a light._

_Woeful as this news alone is, things are even worse. My dear sister did not leave this world of natural accordance. She was murdered. That damned fiancé of hers, Beast. Her death falls upon his shoulders._

_I should have known better then to let her get close to such a heathenish society. He befriended and befuddled my sweet, innocent sister and when she was completely complacent and trusting of him, he slit her throat from ear to ear._

_I have decided that they will suffer. I put a curse upon the entire line of fire-eaters. I am taking all of the magic that I can spare in order for this task to succeed. May the fire that they so cherish eat them from the inside out. I shall announce to the troops that we are going to war, and then I shall take my own life. The world is indeed bleak without Belle and I see no reason to partake in this life any longer. Good-bye._

_DiZ_

Roxas stared at the page in wonder. Now that he'd found the reason for war, he wished that he hadn't. The last time their two kingdoms had tried to unite, one of the pair had ended up dead. Roxas thought this was very interesting. DiZ had seemed positive that it had been 'Beast' who had killed Belle, but Roxas wasn't so sure. he had no grounds for this suspicion, but it just felt wrong.

He made a mental note to search the archives and find out if Belle had ever kept a diary. Though his mind was spinning with his new discovery, Roxas snapped the book shut and set it on his bedside table. He drained the light from the room and settled down into his bed, slipping quickly into a deep sleep.

-------------

A/N: Well, dearies, it's 2:01 am and I have to pick up my sister from the train station in the morning, so …yeah. Peace out and good night!


	17. Mingling

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 16

Roxas greatly regretted staying up so late the next morning. He was practically asleep at breakfast and Axel seemed to be the only one obnoxious enough to take notice of it. He kept making faces at the blonde from across the table and pretending to fall asleep. Normally, Roxas would have found this amusing, but he was so tired he hardly took notice of it.

Kairi had waved cheerfully at him, though she had admittedly looked less then pleased. Roxas wondered how much trouble she'd gotten into for her disappearing act the night before. He smiled back, though he wasn't sure how real it looked. He was just too tired to properly function. Five hours of sleep really weren't enough.

Now it was several hours later, but he hadn't gotten a chance to rest. He was still basically dead on his feet, but he had to put on a show for the commoners. Roxas found himself wishing that they were still in Ne'erwas. There, he could lean most of his weight on Axel and no one would be the wiser of question it at all. In Hartz, though, he had to keep his distance. Still, despite the societal rules, Axel kept a firm hand on the small of his back the entire time they were in the marketplace.

Roxas came to a stop at a knife vendor. he'd known the owner when they were children and he liked her craftsmanship.

"Come on," he said to Axel. Axel obediently followed him over to the station where a brunette woman was sharpening a blade.

"Olette," Roxas said to grab the girl's attention. She stopped sharpening the knife and turned to see who called her name. Her eyes went wide and she instantly set the knife down.

"Roxas!" she exclaimed before slapping a hand over her mouth. "Your majesty, that is." she amended. He shook his head.

"Roxas is fine," he told her. "I like to believe that we were childhood friends?" she nodded quickly.

"Yes of course," she answered.

"Good." Roxas smiled at her. "I'd like you to meet my fiancé, Axel."

Olette beamed brightly at him and offered her hand to shake. "It's very nice to meet you," she said. "I have to i98admit, I never thought Roxas would find someone who could put up with his mood swings."

Axel let out a bark of laughter and nodded vigorously. "I know what you mean. In all honesty, though, I have my own set of issues and I think he handles them pretty well," Axel informed her.

The knives lining the wall caught the redhead's eye and he looked at them with interest. They really were impressive wares. They were forged with a special kind of poison that attacked all the vital organs at the same time. Olette had the hand of earth and she bred all the poison plants herself.

"May I?" he asked, motioning to the wall. Olette nodded.

"Of course, by all means," she said. Axel ducked behind the counter and moved closer to study her goods.

"How have you been lately?" Roxas asked her. "It's kind of sad that we haven't had the chance to talk in a while. We used to be pretty close, right?"

She nodded, her smile turning slightly sad. "Yeah, it is too bad, isn't it? We missed you, after you didn't come back."

"Sorry," Roxas apologized. "I got really busy."

She nodded to show that she understood. "Well, we can't argue with the duties of our king, can we? Maybe, though, now that this whole war is over we can start to move on."

Roxas nodded. "That's the plan, Olette. That's what we're trying to do."

"I'll look forward to that."

Roxas focused his eyes on Axel, who had stopped to look at a specific knife. The hilt was silver and there were flames carved along the whole side. It really was rather simple, yet beautiful at the same time. It reminded Roxas of the tattoos that were blatantly showing along Axel's arms. It was almost as if the knife had been made for him.

"Whatever happened to Pence and Hayner?" Roxas asked, feeling slightly nervous waiting for the answer. Olette looked torn between happy and upset.

"Well, Pence and I got married," she said. "But Hayner…well, he died in battle somewhere around three years ago."

"Oh," Roxas said, his stomach sinking. He and Hayner had been best friends for a while. "That's…that's too bad. I'm sorry. But, congratulations. Pass that along to Pence, won't you?" She nodded. Axel chose that moment to jump in to the conversation with a completely different topic. Roxas made a mental note to thank him for it later.

"These are beautiful," he said wistfully. "I collect knives from all over Ne'erwas and I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before."

Olette nodded, her eyes blazing with passion at the mention of her craft.

"No, my rey, you won't find any like that anywhere else but right here in the marketplace of Hartz castle," Olette answered. "I hand craft each one of these blades one at a time, piece by piece. My father did it before me and his father before him. The design of each blade is just a bit different, so they are each one of a kind."

"Yes, I did notice that," Axel said, thumb stroking the blade of the knife. "And this marking here, is this some sort of signature?" Set into the blade of each knife was a small lily, bent to form and 'O'.

"Yes it is," Olette confirmed. "That's my very own. Any knife that bears this crest is my work and none other."

"How much for this?" Axel asked her. "I can't properly say I have a collection without one of these."

Olette's eyes widened and she shook her head, unable to speak for a moment.

Axel frowned. "You won't sell it to me?" he asked.

"No, no! Of course I can't. You can have it, my rey, it is a gift."

"No," Axel insisted. "I can't just take it. You put some of your soul into this…"

"Please," Olette said. "I'd feel awful to make you pay for it. Just the thought that it is yours is payment enough, I assure you."

Axel, looking a bit like he still wanted to protest, nodded. "Thank you, then."

"It's my pleasure," Olette answered, seeming to glow with happiness. "It's not every day that my work gets complimented by a king." She pulled a sheath from under the counter, a perfect match to the dagger.

"You'll want to be careful when handling this," she warned, sliding the knife into the sheath. "The poison embedded in this blade could kill you in a flat second if you accidentally pierce yourself on it. I'd hate to be the reason for your untimely death."

Axel let out a low whistle. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

"Your majesty!" a voice cried above the crowd. A young boy burst through and he bowed quickly.

"Your majesty, my rey. Excuse my interruption, please. Your mothers have asked me to alert you that they wish to see you."

Axel and Roxas exchanged a glance and Roxas wondered if Axel was thinking the same thing as Roxas. If they were wedding plans, they might have to make another escape.

"Well, then, Olette, you'll have to excuse us," Roxas said.

"There's just something about mothers," Axel sighed. "You become a king, but you still have to answer to their every beck and call."

Olette giggled and nodded. "Well, I'd hate for you to get in trouble because of me. Maybe I'll see you later?"

"Definitely," Roxas answered. To the boy he said, "Where are they, then?"

"They're in the Hall of Legends, your majesty," the boy answered.

"Thank you," Roxas said. Axel pulled a few crumpled bills from his pocket and winked at the boy.

"How about you go buy yourself some candy or something?" he suggested. The boy's face lit up and he nodded.

"Thank you, my rey!" he exclaimed before rushing off into the crowd.

Roxas stared up at Axel with a bit of wonder and Axel looked back sheepishly. "Should I not have done that?" he asked.

The blonde king quickly shook his head. "No, that was actually a very nice thing to do," he said. "I would never have thought of it." Axel grinned, looking all the more confident. He placed his hand on Roxas' back again and they started weaving their way through the crowd.

"We'll have to drop that off in your room," Roxas said, motioning to the blade. "Weapons aren't allowed in the Hall of Legends."

"Even for the Guard?" Axel asked.

Roxas nodded. "Even for the Guard. Usually they stand just outside the doors so they can remain armed."

"Why?" Axel asked. "Weapons aren't nearly as dangerous as magic can be."

"You can't use magic in there either. The room has been enchanted for as long as anyone can remember and it really is impossible. I've tried."

Axel threw back his head and laughed. They entered the atrium as he did this, which caused his laughter to bounce all around the walls. It was unsettling empty. Axel took this opportunity to move his arm so that it was around Roxas' waist, rather then just touching his back. He did it almost as if it were on instinct rather then something he'd thought out. Roxas didn't protest, but rather leaned most of his weight on the redhead. His drowsiness hit him like a ton of bricks and he yawned.

"Why are you so tired today?" Axel asked, his voice sounding gentler then normal. "You've been falling asleep on your feet." His hand rubbed gentle circles on Roxas' side. The motion was almost enough to lull the blonde to sleep.

"I was up until two reading," Roxas explained through another yawn.

Axel snorted. "What could have been so interesting?"

"It's really not, actually," Roxas said. "It was a diary that belonged to an ancestor of mine. I was wondering if I could find out what started the war."

Axel's hand stopped its ministrations. Roxas was a bit disappointed at the loss of the repetitive movement. "Did you find out?"

Roxas nodded tiredly and yawned again. "Yeah. DiZ-that was his name-his little sister was going to marry a Ne'erwasian. After a year or so she was found with her throat slit open. DiZ blamed her fiancé and we went to war," Roxas explained.

"Oh."

"Yeah,." Roxas nodded. "It sounded a but fishy to me, though. I want to find out if Belle ever kept a diary and see if I can find out the fiancé's name. DiZ only ever called him Beast."

"Why are you so interested?" Axel asked. Roxas shrugged. "You know, I really have no idea. I guess its almost morbid curiosity. Did we go to war for a legitimate reason, or was it just a mistake?"

They arrived at their chambers and Roxas entered his own room as Axel went to put his new dagger away. He double-checked to make sure that he didn't have any weapons, just to be sure. Axel came in and picked up the heavy leather tome lying on Roxas' bedside table.

"Can I read this?" he asked. Roxas hardly glanced at him before nodding.

"Sure, if you want to. I feel that I have to warn you, it's extremely boring except for the very last entry."

Axel shrugged. "I'm sure I've read worse. I'm actually pretty curious. If you place the time period and the place, this Beast character must be one of my ancestors."

"That does make sense," Roxas admitted. "After we escape from whatever it is our mothers want us to do, I'm going to head to the library."

"I don't know," Axel said slowly. "I think you should wait until tomorrow. You need to sleep, Roxy."

"Your concern is touching," Roxas said dryly. "Come on, let's go."

The two kings set off toward the Hall of Legends, hyping themselves up to face whatever their mothers might throw at them.

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A/N: I am mourning the death of Michael Jackson right now by listening to every song of his on my iPod playlist. I never realized how many Michael Jackson songs I had on my iPod before...Man in the Mirror is an awesome song. So much so that it might even replace Billie Jean as my favorite. We'll have to see....review, and pay your respects to the King of Pop!


	18. The Hall of Legends

Insert standard disclaimer here

Chapter 17

As the pair entered the antechamber to the Hall of Legends, Axel held Roxas back with a firm hand on his arm.

"What do you think they're going to do to us?" the redhead asked, the sound of his voice insinuating that they might be facing an entire army rather then their very own mothers.

Roxas shrugged nonchalantly. "Rip out our intestines and play jump rope?" he suggested sarcastically.

"Yeah," Axel agreed seriously. "I thought something like that."

"I don't understand why you're so afraid of wedding plans," Roxas snorted. "Does it really matter that much?"

"It's not the wedding," Axel said, his hands tightening again to the point where Roxas was sure he would bruise. "It's my mom when someone lets her make a lot of decisions. She just…a little but scary when she gets power-hungry." Roxas stared blankly at his fiancé.

"She was queen. How is that not a decision-making job?" Axel snorted. "That's completely different!" he exclaimed. "She really had no interest in bossing the entire kingdom around. She just let dad do that. But, jeez, when she gets in charge of things like weddings…you'd think she was the bride. Everything has to be completely perfect and if its not she goes postal. You do not want to see my mom when she's out for blood." Axle's eyes had grown wide and panicked the more he spoke. Roxas was starting to feel a bit nervous himself. He stared apprehensively at the door as if demons would come flying out.

"Uh…maybe we should…" he started to suggest before the door swung open to reveal Tifa.

"There you are!" she exclaimed. "I thought I was going to have to drag you out of the market place myself! What are you doing just standing in the hall?"

"Uh…we were just…" Tifa waved her hand dismissively in the air.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. We're going to practice part of the ceremony so you two don't hurt each other. Come on, then."

"It won't work in here, Roxas cocked an eyebrow at him, her eyes practically glowing.

"What did you say?"

"It won't work in the Hall of Legends. Magic is forbidden in there."

"It's fine, Roxas!" Aeris called from inside. "I'll explain."

So they entered, Axel looking quite reluctant. Roxas thought he was being a baby.

"What will we be doing that we could potentially hurt each other?" Axel demanded.

"The part of the ceremony we took from the traditional one performed in Hartz," Tifa said impatiently, speaking as if Axel was the dumbest human being she'd ever met in her life.

"And…we'll be using magic?" Axel asked. The other three nodded. "What the hell?" Axel exclaimed, turning on Roxas. "You give me a whole bunch of shit about our coronation process being stupid and your _wedding_ ceremonies have a possibility of fatality?"

Tifa took charge at that time, smacking her son smartly across the back of the head. "Don't talk to your fiancé like that! Don't you know anything about being a good spouse?"

"Damn, mom, don't do that!" he pouted, rubbing the back of his head. "How'd you even get your hand that high?"

Tifa's eyes narrowed and for a moment she looked positively lethal. "What, is that a short joke? Remember, oh son of mine, I could still kick your ass any day of the week. I brought you into this world and I won't hesitate to take you out if I have to."

"All right, all right!" Axel exclaimed, moving behind Roxas to shield himself from his mother.

"I choose to be short!" Tifa declared, waving her arms wildly in the air. "I could be taller if I felt like it!"

"Ahem." Aeris cleared her throat, making Tifa stop her raving and Axel stop cowering behind Roxas.

"We have work to do," she reminded politely. Roxas grinned at his mom, infinitely glad that she wasn't as crazy as Tifa apparently was.

"Now, Axel, this ceremony isn't supposed to hurt-let alone kill-either of you. We thought, that with your magic being as unpredictable as it is, we should practice first so nothing goes wrong."

Axel scowled, muttering something under his breath about control.

"Now, you two, stand facing each other," Aeris instructed. Roxas had seen the ceremony enacted many times before, so he knew what was coming. Axel looked a tiny bit apprehensive as they moved to stand where Aeris directed them. "Good. All right, raise your right hand and put the palms toward each other. Be careful not to touch." They did this as well.

"Now summon your magic."

"We can't," Roxas sighed and Axel shook his head.

"Roxas, just trust me, you can. Axel, what's that matter?"

"I suddenly understand the danger here," he said. "If I summon my magic that close to his hand, I'll burn him." Tifa shook her head. "It will be fine, Axel, just keep the flame low, just enough to cover your skin," she encouraged.

Axel snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, easy for you to say, oh wielder of gravity. That puts you lowest on the social ring here, too, did you know?"

"No, I didn't," Tifa frowned. "That sucks."

"Yeah, I'm pretty far down, too, actually. Like, fifth from the top or something. Either way, though, we're royals so it doesn't matter…"

"As flattering as it is that you remembered what I taught you," Roxas interrupted, "we were doing something here, remember?"

The pair apologized and Aeris convinced Axel to summon his magic. Roxas could feel the heat against his palm as they stood there, fire and light mingling in their palms.

"Now put your hands together." Axel looked nervous at the thought, but did as he was told. Their palms touched and for a split second Roxas thought they were okay. And then supreme pain shot across his hand.

"FUCK!" he yelled, jerking away from the redhead, yanking his hand up to cradle it against his chest. Tears sprang to his eyes and he thought he might faint or vomit. Or both.

"Shit, oh shit. Roxas, are you okay?" Axel's frantic voice met his ears. "Shit, I'm so sorry. I told you I couldn't…shit!"

"Axel," Aeris spoke sharply. "Carry him out, I can't do anything in here."

Roxas was lifted quite suddenly, cradled carefully against Axel's chest. He had a fleeting thought that it would be the perfect place to fall asleep. Once outside the Hall of Legends, Axel lowered them both to the ground, adjusting the blonde so that he was resting in the redhead's lap.

"Shit, I'm so sorry," he kept repeating over and over in Roxas' ear.

"S'okay, Ax," Roxas answered. "It was my own fault, I wasn't shielding strong enough."

Aeris, meanwhile, was studying her son's hand. The blonde king let out pitiful whimpers as his mother forcibly bent his hand open, the meat of his palm bloody and burned.

"Third degree," she tutted. "How hot was that flame, Axel?"

"As low as I could make it go," the redhead shrugged. "This is probably a very bad idea. We shouldn't do it."

"We have to do it. It's the most important part of our ceremony."

"I won't hurt Roxas again!" Axel snapped.

"You're right," Aeris said calmly. "You won't." She held her son's hand between both of her own and pink light flashed between her fingers. When she released Roxas' hand, it was as perfect as it had been before the fire. "Roxas now knows that he has to shield as hard as he can. Your fire is a lot hotter then any of us expected it to be. You two can do it. I've seen a water user and a lightning user do it before. If they can, so can you."

Axel didn't look too convinced, but he nodded anyway.

"Mom," Roxas spoke up, completely fine now that the pain was gone. "Why can we use magic in there?" he asked. Aeris shrugged as if the answer was simple.

"Because you are king and Axel is your rey. That is that way it has always been."

"So…why can't you use magic in there?" the blonde demanded, looking slightly dazed.

"I'm not Queen anymore. I lost the ability the moment you took the crown. Anyway, lets try again, shall we?"

Roxas looked a bit apprehensive. "I don't know, mom…that hurt like hell."

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop being such a baby! Of course it hurt, the power of our entire family line hit you. You knew it could have happened. Suck it up.

Roxas shot a glare at the woman before his eyes met Axel's.

"I see what you meant," he said solemnly. An uneasy grin split Axel's features for a moment and he nodded.

"You won't doubt me next time, right?"

"Of course not. How could I ever doubt you?" Roxas answered dryly. "Lets just get this over with."

They trooped back into the Hall of Legends and summoned their magic into their hands. Axel noticed that Roxas' light was considerably brighter, almost blindingly so. They touched their hands together, Roxas flinching slightly with the remembrance of the pain.

Instead of hurting, though, he just felt a slight heat. Almost like he'd pressed his hand against a heating pad instead of pure flame hot enough to cause a third degree burn in a matter of seconds.

"See?" Aeris said with satisfaction. "I told you everything would be fine. You can stop now." Their magic dissipated, but they left their palms pressed together for just a split seconds longer. There was something in Axel's eyes that Roxas just couldn't figure out. Whatever it was, though, the blonde didn't like it one bit.

"Mom…" Roxas said slowly. "I didn't sleep basically at all last night. I'm gonna go get a few hours of sleep. If anything drastic happens, can you send someone to wake me?"

"Of course, Roxas."

"Thanks." Roxas seized Axel's hand again and pulled the redhead from the room. Not that Axel really resisted much. He just followed where Roxas led him. He waited until they were back in his room before he addressed the redhead.

"What's wrong?" he demanded. Axel blinked at him, eyebrows quirking.

"What do you mean?"

"You know damn well what I mean. Something is bothering you, I can tell."

"It's nothing, Rox…"

"Yes it is, dammit. Tell me!"

Axel tore his eyes from Roxas', instead staring at his intertwined hands.

"I just…I kind of realized how much my power sucks."

Roxas frowned, not really following. "What do you mean?"

"My fire…it just causes destruction. Like, I look at you and your mom…you fix and help people. You can heal the people that you love. I can only hurt them."

Roxas shook his head vehemently, tilting the redhead's chin up so their eyes were forcibly met. "Fire isn't just for destruction, Ax. Fire provides warmth…it makes light."

Axel took a moment to mull that over before a small smile spread over his features.

"Aw, Roxy, you're like a little fortune cookie. Thanks."

Roxas grinned. "No problem. Now, if your personal crisis is over, I'm gonna sleep."

"You, uh, mind if I stay?" Axel asked, biting his lip almost imperceptibly. "I'll just read…"

Not really knowing why, Roxas was comforted by the thought of Axel wanting to stay close to him.

"Yeah, sure," he said, trying to sound indifferent. He kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed. He was asleep almost instantly, but not before he noticed that Axel was absentmindedly stroking a hand through his hair.

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A/N: So, Tifa's power is gravity. I thought of that one because, if you've ever seen Advent Children, you know that Tifa seems to defy gravity. It's in Aeris' church and Loz throws her against the wall, but she does this flippy thing and hits the wall and is literally kneeling on the wall for a few seconds as the flowers explode all around her. That's why I chose gravity for Tifa. By the way, that scene is so totally boss. If you haven't seen AC yet, go buy/rent it now!

As for Axel's insecurity, it's not because he's a whiny little bitch. It's more likely that he really didn't like that thought of hurting Roxas, because I mean, who really likes hurting the people they love? It was just a typical human reaction.

I really love to hear what you guys think, your conspiracy theories and whatnot. Please, please, review because I just live getting them!

Oh yeah, if anyone's interested…I got a 99 on my final for English, a 96 on my US History final, and a 77 on my Geometry final. I was most excited about Geometry, because I thought I was gonna fail…really, really badly…(I had a nightmare that I got an 18…out of 100…)


	19. Sleepy Ramblings

Insert standard disclaimer here

Chapter 18

Axel was still reading when Roxas woke up. Somehow, Roxas had shifted so that he was resting comfortably against Axel's side, his face half buried in the redhead's shirt. Axel was absent-mindedly running a hand down his back in long sweeping lengths. It was so relaxing Roxas thought he might fall right back to sleep. He let out a blissful little sigh and clenched his hands in Axel's shirt, ready to slip off again. Axel's hands stilled its movements as the redhead shifted, making Roxas substantially less comfortable. He let out a low growl and tried to regain the purely relaxed feeling he'd had, to no avail.

"Roxy, are you awake?" Axel asked quietly. The blonde lifted his head and glared half-heartedly. "I was trying to fall back asleep and then you stopped rubbing my back," he said unthinkingly. A moment later he blushed and looked away, but not before catching the self-satisfied grin on Axel's face.

"I just meant…it was soothing, all right?" Roxas muttered, trying to save face.

"Of course, Roxy." After a moment of silence Axel mercifully decided to change the subject. "Hey Roxy, check this out. I thought this was interesting." He shoved the book under Roxas' nose and pointed to a part of the very last passage.

'_I put a curse upon the entire line of fire-eaters. I am taking all of the magic that I can spare in order for this task to succeed. May the fire that they so cherish eat them from the inside out.'_

"Does that sound familiar to you?" he asked. Roxas cocked an eyebrow, staring at his fiancé unblinkingly.

"Um…no, not really," he answered honestly. Axel rolled his eyes.

"'_May the fire that they so cherish eat them from the inside out.'"_ He read out loud. Roxas thought about that for a second before the realization hit him.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "The way your fire attacks you…that was a curse?"

Axel shrugged with a frown. "It sure sounds like it. I can't believe this all happened just because of this one girl. This DiZ guy was a total nut job." Roxas nodded his agreement.

"Does the thought bother you?" Roxas asked suddenly. Axel leaned down the book so he could look Roxas in the face, cocking an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"The last time someone did what we were doing…marrying our two kingdoms, I mean, one of the pair was murdered and the other probably died in war."

"We're not them, Roxas," Axel answered immediately. "That won't happen to us, I promise."

"Isn't it already, though?" Roxas burst out. "We've both had attacks on us recently. Someone is completely determined to keep our family lines form merging."

"Roxas," Axel spoke, his voice low and soothing. "Listen to what you're saying. This happened three hundred years ago. Whoever did it can't still be alive…"

"Maybe it's a family tradition," Roxas spat bitterly. Axel's green eyes slipped closed and he shook his head, a strained smile on his lips.

"I think you're overreacting, Roxy. Let's go to the library. We'll find Belle's diary and if we find out who her fiancé was, I'll send for it from Ne'erwas and then we can figure this whole thing out, all right? If the fiancé did kill her, it's extremely likely that he wrote it down. Murderers do love to brag, after all."

Calmed by a fully formed plan, Roxas nodded. "Okay," he said. "Okay."

After a long moment of silence where Roxas, almost unconsciously, made himself comfortable against the redhead's side, Axel spoke.

"Now that you mention it, Roxy, we really need to get cracking on finding whoever tried to poison you." Roxas frowned, furrowing his eyebrows.

"We nabbed the pastry chef…" he started.

"But I don't think it was him," Axel interrupted. "Unless that guy was a damn good actor, he had no idea what was going on. That's why he's being held in the prison instead of having been executed. There were just so many people in and out of the kitchen it's just not possible to be sure. I'm a bit worried about it. We have an assassin running around free somewhere and now that we've opened transit between our kingdoms, the person could be just about anywhere. I doubt they'll disappear until one of both of us is dead, but it really does make it easy for them to follow us back and forth. We'll never really know if they're one of yours or one of mine until we catch them in the act."

"And when we do, we'll have to make a big deal about cutting them down," Roxas mumbled, not liking the thought. "We'll have to use them as an example to others who might think to do the same."

He felt Axel shift slightly and assumed that it was a nod.

"You're right. I hate to say it, but you're right."

They fell silent again and Roxas was almost asleep before another thought crossed his mind.

"Ax, I've been thinking," he said sleepily.

"Oh really?" Axel asked neutrally. "What about?"

"The way we travel between our kingdoms. I don't think that's the best way to go about things. First of all, Riku almost has a mental breakdown every time he thinks about it. Plus the subjects get all riled up when they don't see their respective monarchs in a certain period of time…" Axel's hand had started its movements again, stroking Roxas' back calmly.

"What do you suggest we do about it, then?" he asked.

"A new castle," Roxas said unabashedly.

"We construct a new capital on the boundary line between our two kingdoms and we live there. Whoever else wants to continue living in the castle town can come if they want."

"You think that's a good idea?" Axel asked, his voice carefully blank.

"Yes," Roxas answered decisively. "I do. With new beginnings we should have a new place. That way people can't claim we favor one kingdom over the other. It will be something completely new, and hopefully, it will help to unite people."

There was a thoughtful silence that only lasted a moment before Axel nodded. "It's definitely something we should take into consideration. We'll have to fins an architect and…"

"We don't have to think about it right this moment, Ax," Roxas mumbled tiredly. "In fact, I think I'm ready for another nap."

Axel snorted. "You just took a three hour long nap and you want to take another? No way, you won't be able to sleep tonight again if you do. Come on, get up. We're going to the library." Axel very suddenly pulled away, leaving Roxas to fall down onto the bed, quite cold from the loss of body heat.

"You're an ass," he grumbled as he too pulled himself from the comfortable mattress.

"Yeah, yeah, but I'm your ass," Axel said, fluttering his eyelashes and casting him a cheesy grin.

Roxas rolled his eyes, tried in vain to fix his spikes, and left the room, leaving the redhead scrambling to catch up.

"Cold, Roxy," he sighed. "Is that really the way to treat the guy who just let you sleep on him for the past three hours?"

Larxene started coughing violently, no doubt having misinterpreted what Axel said. The redhead looked mighty pleased with himself, and Roxas didn't bother to quell Larxene's overactive imagination. Demyx was laughing quietly and patting Larxene on the back as if it would help.

"Why is it," Roxas spoke up, "that we have to have two guards on us inside the castle?"

Axel shrugged. "Marly and Riku are paranoid?" he guessed.

"With good reason," Larxene grumbled, finally recovering from her coughing fit. "You're cursed, the pair of you. If you aren't being watched all the time I'm pretty sure one or both of you will end up dead by some stupid means."

"I find your lack of faith disturbing," Axel sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "We have one bad week and all of a sudden we're incapable of keeping ourselves alive."

"She does have a point," Demyx said in a singsong voice. "You two seem to attract more danger then you ever did apart."

Roxas raised his eyebrow at the blonde. "Who saved your life?" he asked pointedly. Demyx blushed a bit, grinning sheepishly.

"Yeah, okay. I'll give you that," he admitted.

"Here it is!" Axel announced cheerfully. "The library, a wonderful place of learning!"

Larxene snorted and muttered something under her breath. Roxas didn't bother asking what she had said. He figured it wasn't too pleasant.

A little old man with a long beard came scurrying toward them as soon as they entered the room.

"Your majesty!" he exclaimed. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually, there is," Roxas said. "By the way, have you met Axel, my fiancé?" Roxas indicated the redhead at his side. It would be beneficial for him to introduce Axel to everyone he came across. Getting Axel acquainted with some of his soon-to-be subjects would hopefully help to get people used to him.

"No, I've not. It's very nice to meet you, young man," he wheezed. Axel hardly had time to return the sentiment before the man was off rummaging through the shelved of books.

"Is he…always like that?" Axel asked quietly. Roxas had to stifle a laugh as he nodded.

"Yeah…he's the self-proclaimed librarian here and he's older then the gods. Nice enough man, but I think he's a bit off his rocker," Roxas whispered back before raising his voice again. "Merlin?"

The old man stumbled out of the stacks again, looking slightly bewildered. "Ah, your majesty!" he cried. "So sorry, I got a bit distracted…"

"It's no problem, Merlin," Roxas assured the half-senile old man. "we're looking for a diary." He barely got the words out before Merlin was off, twisting through the shelves a lot faster then Roxas would have expected out of an old man. Glancing at Axel, he shrugged and then he started to follow. They came to a stop near the back of the library and Merlin threw his arms out wide as if he were before God.

"These are all the diaries we have ever encountered," he exclaimed. "Is there any specific time frame or name?"

"Belle Strife," Roxas said quickly.

"Searching ancestry, are we?" Merlin said distractedly searching through the shelf. After a few minutes, there was cry of victory.

"Here it is!" Merlin shoved a book bound in yellow leather into Roxas' hands. "Is that all you need, sire?"

Feeling a strange sense of victory, Roxas nodded his head. "Yes. Thank you, Merlin. I'll have this back when I can."

"Very well. Have a nice day, boys." He disappeared into the shelves muttering to himself something about sweet potatoes. Axel looked ready to burst out laughing, so Roxas led them quickly from the room. The redhead had his fill of cackling as they walked back towards Roxas' room, but the blonde hardly noticed. He was too anxious to read the book tucked under his arm.

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A/N: ROFL. Merlin the Librarian. We all know how awesome he was at protecting Winnie the Pooh...and then he left it with Sora, who got it ruined in less then five minutes. Yeah. Good times.

Well, guys...we're almost to the end here. Just two more chapters. Doesn't that make you sad?


	20. Fade

Insert standard disclaimer here.

Chapter 19

Hours later found Roxas and Axel sitting next to each other on Roxas' bed; their shoulders pressed together, each holding one side of the book with a hand. Belle spent most of her time writing about what books she'd read and later, about her distress over the hostility between DiZ and Beast, whom they had discovered was actually named Peter.

The way she wrote about Peter, it was very easy to tell she'd been completely in love with him. Roxas felt a pang of sadness as he thought bout what he knew would happen to her. Overall, the diary didn't tell them very much, but they did have the name of Axel's ancestor.

They had just finished reading the last entry-a cheerful bit about how excited Belle was to be marrying her true love the next day-when a knock sounded on the door. Roxas pulled himself from the bed and went to answer it himself. He almost slammed the door shut immediately, but a hand pressed the door firmly into the wall to prevent any such actions.

Aeris and Tifa stood in the doorway, huge grins on both their faces. Roxas felt extremely nervous at the sight. He glanced over his shoulder to look at Axel, who looked just as nervous as Roxas felt.

"Mom…Tifa…what are you going to do to us?" Roxas asked, slowly backing away in hopes of escape.

"Jeez, Roxas," Tifa frowned. "You act like we're here to execute you."

"We have a surprise for you boys. Come with us."

"Do we get to know what it is?" Axel yelped as his mother surged past Roxas and started yanking on Axel's arm to get him to come along.

"It wouldn't be much of a surprise then, would it?" Tifa sniped. "Get up you lazy boy!"

They were led-very unwillingly-from their room by their mothers, Tifa going first, pulling Axel along behind her. Aeris was last, pushing Roxas ahead of her. They had no chance of escape. It was at this realization that the soldier in Roxas' mind stopped plotting and the son took over and gave in to his mother's desires. It was pointless to resist.

They finally ended up in the antechamber to the Hall of Legends. Roxas frowned in confusion, glancing at Axel as if the redhead could give him the answers he was looking for. No luck on that count. Axel just shrugged helplessly. Tifa and Aeris giggled like school girls with a crush and snuck behind the kings, Aeris behind Axel and Tifa behind Roxas. A moment later, everything went dark as their eyes were covered.

"Mom, what is going on?" Roxas demanded. "Why are you covering our eyes…you're not trying to kill us are you?"

Axel snorted. "Wouldn't that be rich? It's almost the perfect crime, no one would suspect our mothers to be the assassins."

"Would you two shut up?" Tifa growled. "Of course we're not going to kill you, though I might have to reconsider that." Roxas felt himself being pushed forward and he had no choice but to walk, lest he end up face first on the floor. He winced, half expecting to walk into the wall, but the door creaked open just in time and he was led into the room. Everything was eerily silent and he could feel goose bumps building on his arms. He felt almost like he was being watched.

"You ready boys?" Aeris asked cheerfully.

"Ready for you to stop blinding us? Most definitely," Axel grumbled.

"Well, you don't have to be so rude about it…"

"You're blinding me and I can feel people watching me," Axel snapped. "It's freaking me the hell out."

"Oh…" Aeris said slowly. A moment later, Tifa's hands left Roxas' eyes and the blonde let out a gasp. A roar of people's voice drowned Axel's concerned questioning out.

"Surprise!" Roxas thought he might have a heart attack before he grinned. Crowded into the hall was probably every friend or person he'd ever met. People from Hartz and Ne'erwas alike were in the room, not to mention people from neighboring kingdoms.

"Xemnas!" Axel cried, a huge grin splitting across his face. He rushed over to and embraced a silver haired man in a black and white coat. Roxas recognized the man as a duke from Ne'erwas, and apparently, a friend of Axel's.

"What's this about?" Roxas asked his mother as the crowd converged upon them.

"It's somewhat of a joint bachelor party," Tifa explained.

"We thought it was a nice thing to do for you boys, especially because we've been traumatizing you with wedding plans. Are you surprised?"

"Yeah, this is great," he said with a grin. "Thanks a lot."

Olette and Pence were waiting for him as he turned away from Aeris and Tifa. Olette threw all caution to the wind and hugged him tightly. Roxas had to fight a blush and an uncomfortable shuffle, sending Pence psychic thoughts to save him. The brunet did so quite well, taking hold of his wife's arms and pulling gently until she released Roxas.

"Sorry," she apologized, blushing just the slightest. "It don't really know what came over me just now…"

Roxas shrugged and waved a hand dismissively, trying to pass it off as no big deal.

They chattered about the past for a few minutes before the tide shifted and Roxas found himself talking to other old friends. It was very nice, to be honest. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed just being a normal kid, before his age had overtaken his right to act like a commoner rather then a royal. All these friends he'd had as a child now looked up to him as their leader, but that night they could get away with just being friends again.

Even the Guard seemed to be a bit more at ease. Roxas spotted Riku and Sora sharing a dance at one point, the silver-haired guard looking more relaxed then Roxas had seen him in weeks. Larxene, on the other hand, looked like she might be sick at any moment. He'd asked if she'd like to be dismissed at one point, but she'd merely shook her head and insisted that she was all right. He'd reluctantly let the subject drop, but he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye every once in a while, just to make sure she hadn't collapsed or anything.

He hadn't seen much of Axel since they'd gotten there, but he wasn't too worried about that. Magic wouldn't work and weapons weren't allowed. It was possibly the safest place in the castle.

"Roxas?" Larxene's voice questioned after a good two hours. The blonde turned to look at the guard. She was very pale and chewing on her lip. Roxas had never seen her in such a state before.

"Larx, are you sure you don't want to go lie down?" Roxas asked. She nodded.

"Yeah…I just…I wanted to thank you. For keeping me as your guard all these years."

Feeling confused, Roxas nodded. "Yeah, uh, no problem, Larxene. What is this about, anyway?"

She shook her head quickly. "It's nothing. I just…I wanted you to know."

Roxas had an inkling her knew what this was about. "You know, Larxene, I'm not going to replace you after the wedding or something. You're too much of a comfortable presence for me, I'd hate to have to get used to someone new."

She smiled, though it was a weak one. "I know, Roxas." She then disappeared into the crowd, leaving the king quite confused. He brushed the thought from his mind, turning back to chat with different people.

After another hour or so, Tifa emerged from the crowd, a drink in one hand and a giant grin on her face.

"Roxas!" she cried. "How are you liking the party?" He grinned back.

"It's good," he said honestly. "I'm having a lot of fun. Thanks a lot for this."

She waved her hand dismissively. "It was nothing, Roxas, really. We wanted to do something for you! I'm just glad that you're enjoying you…" Tifa's words cut off in mid-sentence as she suddenly shoved Roxas behind her. He gasped and almost fell over, not expecting the movement. A sharp pain bit his arm and he vaguely recognized it as a needle. He managed to stay on his feet and turn quickly as he heard Tifa let out a cry of pain. He caught her as she fell backwards, the hilt of a knife sticking out of her neck.

No one around them seemed to notice for a minute and Roxas felt a strange tingling sensation rushing through his body, before he was involuntarily illuminating the entire room in a blinding white light. He gasped as the light started dancing along his skin against his will. He tried to rein it all back in, but the light wouldn't heed him.

Somewhere, a woman screamed as the realization of what had happened suddenly hit. Axel emerged from the crowd, his eyes wide with panic.

"Roxas…what the hell happened?" he demanded, rushing forward to lift his mother into his arms. Amazingly enough, Tifa was still alive, gasping for breath around a no doubt destroyed windpipe. Roxas saw Aeris rushing toward them as well, already trying to heal the brunette woman as she went, to no avail. Her magic didn't work there, not anymore.

"I…I don't know!" Roxas cried. "We were just talking and she pushed me out of the way…she must have seen it coming…" Large pillars of light shot from the ceiling striking the ground in frightening synchrony. Roxas yelled in frustration as he again tried and failed to control his magic. "Axel, go! Take care of your mother!" The redhead hardly paused a moment before pushing through the crowd with Tifa in his arms, meeting Aeris in the middle and the two continuing out together.

"What's wrong, your majesty?" Riku had made his appearance now. He placed a hand on Roxas' arm, releasing it instantly as a tendril of light attacked his hand.

"I can't control it!" Roxas cried. "I don't know why, but I can't control it!" Light was flying around the room now, shooting out from his body and hitting things in the room. Roxas feared for the people. He didn't want to hurt them on accident.

"Riku," he begged. "Get them out of here, safely. Trap me in a shield so I can't hurt them. Please."

"Roxas, you'll kill yourself!" Riku hissed.

"Just do it!" Roxas cried as the pillars of light slammed from the ceiling again. There were screams all around and people seemed to have registered their sense and were now running for the exit.

"I can't!" Riku cried in frustration. In his panic, Roxas had forgotten that only he and Axel could use magic.

"Then get out, Riku. Make sure the rest are safe. That's an order!" Riku looked ready to protest for only a moment before he shook his head in frustration and rushed off to herd people out.

Roxas reached out with his power and tried to grab the magic from the air, making his very veins burn with pain. He couldn't stop it…but maybe he could focus it. He bundled up the attacks and focused them all on himself, hoping that it would work. Certainly it did, for the next time the pillars of light appeared, they shot down in a concentrated bundle right on top of Roxas. The force made his back arch and his muscles spasm. He screamed in pure agony, hoping he'd be able to keep his hold on to the magic until everyone was out and safe. More light hit his body, ripping another scream from his throat. He hit his knees, reaching wildly to grab more energy from the air. Though there was much to be found, he couldn't get a grip on it. His energy was spent and thrown to the wind. If he couldn't stop the light and he couldn't gather any energy, he would fade away.

Scared faces looked at him in wonder as they ran past and he felt proud that he was protecting them with his very life. It was an honorable way to go and he was suddenly content with that. He didn't want to die, but if he had to, it was a good way to go.

Getting through the crowd of people was almost impossible and Axel could see his mother's life slipping away by the second. There was no way to break through and nothing could be done for her while she was inside the magic barrier. An agonized scream sounded from behind them, a scream that made Axel's blood run cold. He whipped around to see that Roxas had found a way to control his magic. The idiot was directing the brunt of the blast at his own body to keep it from lashing out elsewhere. It was a noble, if not stupid, act. Even from where he stood, Axel could see Roxas' eyes rolling back into his head as another scream ripped from his throat, his entire body convulsing with the force of the attack. It was a horrendous sound, heard high and easily above the rest of the clamor. Axel's heart hurt with the noise. Letting out a groan of frustration, he grabbed the nearest man's shoulder and forced him around.

"Get her out of here as quickly as you can!" he demanded, shoving Tifa into the man's arms. Said man had no time to protest, as Axel was already pushing back through the crowd toward Roxas, hoping to help in any way possible. A flicker of light came from the ceiling and Axel's magic kicked in to gear without warning. A flaming bird rose up from his body, taking off at a quick pace over everyone's heads, catching the light as it slammed down. The flame and the light impacted with a large 'BOOM', making people jump and scream. Roxas had almost collapsed completely and Axel put his arms around the blonde, pulling him upright.

"Roxas…Roxas, are you all right?" he demanded.

"Ax…Axel, I can't hold on to it anymore," he mumbled, his words sounding odd and forced. "I can't hold it anymore…please, please, protect them. I can't hold it anymore."

"Roxas, what are you talking about?" Axel asked desperately.

"The magic. I can't. Help them like you just helped me. Please." The hard, determined look in Roxas' eyes made Axel agree more then anything. He gently let go of Roxas and stood up, just in time to get hit with a ray of light. The force knocked him back and made his body ache, but he managed to stay on his feet. His magic-seemingly acting on its own-created the bird again, fully intent on blocking every pillar.

Eventually, the light stopped attacking and came to standstill. Axel watched in despair as Roxas' form began to waver and slowly fade away.

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A/N: 0.0 Yeah, that's right. Cliffhanger. Amazing cliffhanger.

After going over the last chapter, I realized how very boring and short it was, so I decided to post this at the same time. This also has something to do with the fact that I'm leaving for Spain on the nineteenth and wanted to get this all posted before then...because even I'm not as mean as to leave a cliffhanger like this for two weeks. So yeah. Here ya go. Review and all that jazz.


	21. All is Revealed

Insert standard disclaimer here

Chapter 20

Roxas was rather surprised when he woke up. In all honesty, he'd thought he was dead for sure. He'd used up so much magic, he just couldn't imagine surviving it. Yet, there he was, lying in his bed. He was tired and sore as hell, sure, but he was alive. He took a quick survey, starting with himself. He didn't seem to have any outwardly injuries, so that was good. The sun outside the window was low in the sky, which meant in was almost sunset. He wondered how long he'd been unconscious for.

The sound of gasping breath drew his attention over to the opposite corner. Axel was sitting in the chair, his head bent low, hands clutching at his hair. It took Roxas a long moment to realize the redhead was crying. That surprised him.

He'd seen Axel in many different moods. Angry, happy, teasing, pissed off, pensive, sad, but he'd never seen Axel cry. It almost made him a completely different person then the one Roxas thought he knew. A swell of emotion filled his body and he thought he might explode with it all. He knew what it was instantly. He recognized it. It was an emotion he felt for his family and friends, but about a million times fold.

He had to admit; he'd never thought that seeing Axel cry would be the thing that would push his emotions over the edge from like to love. Maybe it was just because it made him seem that much more real. Roxas didn't really know for sure.

The first time he tried to speak, his voice wouldn't work properly. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Axel." Axel's head snapped up and he stared at Roxas for a long time in silence before he let out a gasp of surprise. He was across the room in seconds, pulling Roxas into a tight hug.

"Oh thank gods," he whispered. "I thought…I thought you would die and I don't know what I would have done if I'd lost both of you…"

"Ax…Axel, babe, calm down a second," Roxas spoke in what he hoped was a soothing voice. "Tell me what happened, please. Is Tifa…is she all right?"

Axel pulled away, his eyes welling with tears again.

"No. No, Roxy, she's dead. Your mom tried to fix her…but it was my knife. The one from your friend…she just…she couldn't heal it all at the same time…"

Roxas' heart swelled again, this time with a mix of sadness and rage. Tifa had been eccentric, but she'd been a genuinely kind woman and Roxas had really liked her.

"Oh, Ax, I'm so sorry," he sighed, hugging the redhead tightly again.

Axel clutched him like he was the last solid thing in Gaia, and they stayed that way for a long time. Roxas pressed a soft kiss in Axel's hair and the redhead looked up at him, eyebrows raising slightly. Roxas blushed and looked away, but a moment later his face was jerked back to look into Axel's.

They stared at each other for a flat second before their lips were meshed together. Roxas gasped, in both pain and shock, as Axel pushed him back into the mattress, climbing on top of him and straddling his waist. As Axel leaned down to devour his mouth again, Roxas firmly placed his hands on Axel's chest and pushed the redhead away.

"Axel, stop, you don't want to do this," Roxas said as the redhead swooped in for another kiss.

"The hell I don't," Axel retorted, trying again. Roxas shoved the other king off of him, narrowing his eyes.

"Sure you want to now, but you'll regret it later," he insisted. "You're really upset, Ax, and you're not thinking straight."

"You want me and I want you. Why are you making this so difficult?" Axel demanded, looking more like he would burst into tears at any moment then angry.

"Because I love you and I know you'll regret this later," Roxas said firmly. Axel's eyebrows shot up into his hairline and he suddenly sobered.

"Roxas…" he said slowly. "Do you…do you really mean that?"

"Do you really think I'd be as cruel as to lie about something like that?" Roxas demanded. He softened at Axel's downcast look. "Of course I meant it. I love you, Axel." And suddenly Axel looked so very happy. He kissed Roxas tenderly on the mouth and then hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," he murmured. "Thanks for watching out for me."

"Of course," Roxas answered.

Roxas started to ask Axel questions and he found out that he'd been in a coma for almost a week. Axel had been running both of their kingdoms without him, but he hadn't left Roxas' side for more then an hour at a time. Apparently there had been a huge span of time when he hadn't been expected to live at all.

"I don't understand how this all happened," Roxas sighed in frustration.

"I do," Axel said quietly. "Somewhere about the time my mom got hit with the knife, you were injected with a serum that is supposed to make it so you can't use your magic. It was a prototype they were working on in the labs in Ne'erwas. It was never completed properly, but I guess someone decided to try it anyway. Instead of annulling your magic like it was supposed to, it made it act on its own and left you unable to control it."

Roxas nodded slowly, accepting this information. "I don't understand how I'm still alive, though…"

"Well…" Axel said, looking a tiny bit embarrassed. "I've sort of been…splitting all my energy with you…" Roxas stared blankly at the redhead.

"Why…would you do that?" he demanded. "You could have died!"

"I know," Axel muttered defensively. "But I…I just couldn't let you die Roxas. I had to try and it worked, didn't it? You have too much of me now for me to live without you. The thought of the world without you in it is pretty bleak."

Roxas was about to argue that point, when a slamming sounded on the door. Not knocking. Slamming. A moment later it burst open.

"Excuse my intrusion…Roxas! You're awake!" Riku stood in the doorway, looking a mix between angry, relieved, and dumbfounded.

"Yeah…Riku, what is it you were so frantic about?" Riku seemed to remember why he'd come rushing in. His eyes hardened.

"We have them," he said.

"Have them?" Roxas questioned.

"The assassins. One of them turned them both in. I think you'll really want to see this." Roxas didn't need to be told twice. He hopped out of bed, only to sway dangerously. Axel and Riku caught him as he collapsed.

"Whoa," he murmured. "Head rush. Ax, think you could lend a hand?" The redhead wrapped an arm around Roxas' waist and the blonde rested most of his weight on him.

Riku led them down to the Hall of Legends, a place that Roxas wasn't too keen on being in at the moment. He gasped at the sight of it, much of the floor having been ripped up with the force of the magic, part of one wall collapsed inward. Still, it was a smart place to keep prisoners, considering that magic couldn't be used there. He looked away from the wreckage, brow wrinkling in confusion. He didn't see any prisoners, only the Guard.

It was Axel's gasp that alerted him to the truth. Marluxia and Larxene were forced to their knees before them, Larxene looking at the floor and Marluxia looking up at them proudly. Roxas felt his stomach drop.

"Larxene…" he said slowly. "You didn't…"

"Roxas!" she cried. "I never meant for this…!"

"They don't care what you meant!" Marluxia snarled. "You committed treason."

"Tell them," Riku demanded. "Tell them what you did."

Marluxia had no qualms about revealing the entire thing.

"I tried to take care of you easily," Marluxia snarled at Roxas. "Just poison your food and you'd be dead before anyone was the wiser. But then you two idiots switched plates!

My next plan was flawless. Larxene over there would inject Roxas with a serum to make his magic go haywire…"

"It wasn't supposed to react like that!" Larxene cried. "It was just supposed to keep you from casting, you weren't supposed to get hurt. I just wanted you to call off the stupid wedding. I was trying to protect my king, just like I promised I would…"

"Shut up, you stupid girl! They don't care what you meant to do!" Marluxia snapped.

"You weren't supposed to hurt my king, Marluxia!" Larxene snapped back. "You almost hit him with that stupid knife!"

"I was _trying_ to hit him!" Marluxia cried. "It was only a mistake that Tifa took the knife instead!"

Axel froze, his fists tightening. "Marly," he said slowly, "You killed my mother?"

"Completely by accident," Marluxia said calmly. "I was aiming for him and she jumped in the way."

"You son of a bitch!" Axel exclaimed. A moment later, Marluxia burst into flame. Roxas tried to block out the agonized screams coming from the man as he looked up at Axel.

"Ax!" he cried. "Axel, stop it! I know what he did was wrong, but this isn't any better! Axel, _please_!" The fire died away, though Marluxia was barely a burnt bloody remnant.

"Kill him. Kill them both," Roxas said to the remaining guards. Riku drew his sword, his eyes troubled.

"I'll do Larxene. I can't believe…Your majesty, I'm sorry. I entrusted her with you life…"

"You couldn't have known, Riku. Take care of these two, please. We're heading back to our chambers. I think I might collapse and Axel needs some rest." Riku nodded solemnly and Roxas led them from the room, trying to drown out the sound of Larxene calling his name.

"I can't believe it was them," Axel said once they were safely back in Roxas' room. "I can't believe he would betray me like that."

"I know how you feel," Roxas sighed, hugging the redhead just as tightly as he was being held. "I can hardly believe it either."

"I trusted him," Axel said quietly. "We were friends all our lives. I trusted him with your life! I just…I don't believe it."

"I know," Roxas said faintly. "Larxene, too."

The sense of betrayal cut deep. Roxas almost wished they hadn't found out. Being ignorant of it all might have been better then dealing with the knowledge that people they loved had betrayed them.

"But there's nothing we can do about it now," Roxas said firmly. "We've done what we had to do…and now all we can do is move on, right?"

"You make is sound so easy," Axel snorted. Roxas sighed and shook his head.

"No, it won't be easy," he disagreed. "But we'll get through it together, won't we?"

They were quiet for a long time before Axel murmured, "I love you."

Roxas smiled a bit before answering back.

"I know. I love you, too."

He could hear some of the tension leak out of Axel's voice with his answer.

"I know."

3 Months Later

"Your majesty! Roxas!"

The blonde came to a stop at the call of his name, turning to find the source of the voice. Demyx approached him from the crowd, his usual carefree grin in place.

"Hey Dem," Roxas greeted. "What's up?"

"Axel asked me to find you. He says he has something interesting to show you."

Roxas had to admit, he was intrigued.

"Do you know what it is?" he demanded of the other blonde. Demyx merely grinned and shook his head. "Nope. Sorry." Roxas sighed forlornly. "All right, then. I'll play. Where is he?"

"The library," Demyx called to Roxas' already retreating back. With a shrug, the blonde guard slipped his hands into Zexion's and dragged the silver-haired man along with them. Not that he wouldn't have come anyway, considering that Zexion was Roxas' personal guard.

A lot had happened in the three months since Larxene and Marluxia had been executed. Axel and Roxas had finally had their wedding, and they'd decided to go through with really joining their two kingdoms. They'd had a castle constructed in the closest town to the borderline of their two kingdoms, where they now resided. Many people from both kingdoms had made the move with them, making the place crowded, yet still very comfortable and, for the most part, peaceful. They'd managed to meld their kingdoms and cultures together pretty well.

It was different for everyone, but there was still that sense of familiarity and pride in their own culture. Roxas found Axel in their favorite spot, in the very back corner of the library, lounging on the most comfortable green couch Roxas had ever encountered. He flopped down next to the redhead, twining their fingers together without a thought.

The platinum band of Axel's ring caught the light for a moment, and Roxas had to smile at the sight of it. That was part of the Ne'erwasian tradition, exchanging rings when they wed. The other big tradition was sharing a kiss. In front of everyone. Roxas had almost died of embarrassment when he'd found out, but over the last few months Axel had eased him into a fragile comfort of some forms of PDA.

"Hi," Roxas greeted, allowing Axel to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "What is this interesting thing you have to show me?"

Axel grinned and pulled a brown leather-bound book from under the cushion, where he'd evidently stashed it before Roxas' arrival. Roxas raised an eyebrow, taking the book from Axel's hands and staring at it as if expecting it to do a trick. Finally, after much prompting from Axel, he opened the front cover. He read the inscription and gasped, his eyes going wide as he stared at his husband. Axel stared back with a self-satisfied grin.

_The Diary of:_

_H.R.H. Peter Sinclair_

_Year 7349_

"Ax…" Roxas breathed. "Is this…?"

"Beast's diary," Axel confirmed, the self-satisfied look becoming positively smug. Roxas flipped rapidly through the pages, eyes skimming the entries as he went. Axel tugged the book carefully from is grasp and flipped to a marked page, handing the book back to Roxas. The blonde started reading from the point Axel pointed out with his finger.

"…Belle is dead and DiZ has called war upon us. I still cannot believe this has all happened. If things had gone as planned, we would be happily married now. I have found the one who did the deed. It was a member of my own Royal Guard. It is heart-shattering news, and I worry for future generations. He promised me before he was executed that his descendent would kill mine's love again, the next time our two lines tried to merge. At the time, I thought nothing of it, but now I must wonder if it was a curse rather then just melodramatic last words. I should hope no one would ever find out."

Roxas looked at Axel, wide-eyes.

"You don't think…?" he trailed off. Axel shrugged.

"It's possible, Roxy. I mean…Marluxia's family was in the Guard for as long as anyone has been able to remember. It very well could be the same family line."

"Either way," Roxas said slowly. "I'm really glad we avoided that fate."

Axel nodded, looking uncharacteristically serious. "I agree."

They were silent for a few more moments before Axel grinned, suddenly upbeat again.

"Roxy, let's go up to the roof."

Roxas grimaced. "Aku," Roxas used the new nickname he'd called Axel since he'd found out that his real name was not Axel, but actually Akuseru, "It's cold outside…" he tried to protest.

"I'll keep you warm, I promise. Please, it's almost time!" Roxas had already lost the argument and he knew it.

"All right, Aku. To the roof it is."

The pair set off for the roof of the castle, using one of their secret back passages to avoid getting caught up by people. They stepped onto the rooftop just in time to see the sun stat its descent below the horizon.

Twilight Town-the setting of their new grounds-had always had the most beautiful sunsets. True to his word, Axel kept an arm securely wrapped around Roxas' shoulders, keeping the blonde as warm as a summer day. Roxas rested his head on Axel's shoulder and watched the beauty of the mingling colors.

Many things had changed for the better since their union. Some things had changed for the worse as well, but Roxas wasn't too worried about that. The blonde had long ago accepted that things would never be the same. The wounds cut too deep to just disappear. But they could get through whatever life threw their way. Roxas was completely sure of that.

Together, they could do anything.

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EL FIN!!!!!

That's right, guys, it's over! Which, like the end of all things (unless it's high school math, which I never have to take EVER AGAIN [and damn is that good]) is rather depressing, but at the same time, it paves the way for something new. And what is this something new? Well, since you asked, I'll tell you. Can you guys say SEQUEL?

Yes, that's right. I am in the process of writing a sequel to FireLight because I liked it that much. This, my friends, is a little snippet.

_The queen sat regally upon her throne, watching him with narrowed eyes. He quickly dropped to his knees, bowing his head, persistently avoiding looking her in the face._

"_Your majesty, I come with news of the kingdoms of Hartz and Ne'erwas."_

_There was a long pause before she spoke quietly. "Well, then?"_

"_It appears that the scout was correct, your majesty. The Kings Roxas and Axel wed just over six months ago. Their militaries have joined, though it seems that they are only standing defensive. I saw no signs that they have any plans to mobilize. In fact, I did hear rumor that they are in the early stages of declaring neutrality."_

"_Neutrality," she scoffed. "You're telling me that the two most powerful kingdoms in all of Gaia have joined forces and they want neutrality? Impossible!"_

"_I only report what I see, majesty," the messenger offered quietly._

"_And what news of the prince?" she spat, looking livid._

"_I wasn't able to pinpoint the prince's exact location, your majesty. I did find a few who could qualify, but I just couldn't be sure."_

_She let out a cry of dismay, causing the messenger's head to snap up in panic. Their eyes met and he froze._

"_Your incompetence will be your downfall," she snapped, sending a charge of magic his way. He had no time to scream before the power hit him and he dropped dead._


End file.
